


II: What Was Lost (There's a World Outside These Walls)

by SilverAndGreen



Series: Spells of Seven [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Anger, Angst, Aurors, Family, Forbidden Forest, Friendship, Gen, Graduation, Growing Up, Gryffindor, Hogsmeade, Hogwarts, Hufflepuff, Independence, Jealousy, M/M, Magic, Ministry of Magic, Muggles, Mystery, OT7 Friendship, Potions, Professor!Namjoon, Professor!Seokjin, Quidditch, Ravenclaw, Room of Requirement, Self-Doubt, Slytherin, Spells & Enchantments, Summer, Swearing, Taehyung is secretly in love with Jimin, Teaching, Teen Angst, Transfiguration (Harry Potter), Underage Drinking, Unrequited Love, Youth, that's what the M/M is for
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-06
Updated: 2017-09-19
Packaged: 2018-09-28 17:06:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 70,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10140758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverAndGreen/pseuds/SilverAndGreen
Summary: Part I.V: Summer of YouthChapter I - IVAfter what happened last school year, the seven enjoy their summer break. However, there may be more on all of their minds than they are initially willing to let on to each other.Part II: What Was Lost (There's a World Outside These Walls)Chapter V - XVA new year at Hogwarts starts, and the seven each have to face their own struggles as a part of growing up. However, one of the group carries a secret with him that leads him into something much bigger than he had anticipated; revealing that even within the walls of Hogwarts it might not always be safe.





	1. A Summer of Confession

**Author's Note:**

> I have returned! ~
> 
> This work contains **Part I.V: Summer of Youth** and **Part II: What Was Lost** of the Spells of Seven series. The entire story must be read in chronological order, or else it simply won't make sense.
> 
> **Read Part I here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/8873005/chapters/20343073**
> 
> Thank you so much for reading; feedback and comments are greatly appreciated <3

## I.V: Summer of Youth

****

###  **Chapter 1 - A Summer of Confession**

****

“Welcome to the Jung residence, where the Butterbeer is rowdy and the crowd is ice cold!”

Hoseok stood beaming in the doorway, his familiar radiance being more than welcome to Taehyung after spending the first week of summer alone. With a bottle of Turnip Wine in his hands he stood on the doorstep, returning his friend’s smile cheerfully. He opened his mouth to reply, but from behind Hoseok someone chimed in before he could say anything.

“Stop trying to be funny.”

A girl with half long, hazelnut-coloured hair appeared from behind the Hufflepuff. She was about half a head shorter than him, and stood on her tiptoes and glanced over Hoseok’s shoulder. 

Taehyung noticed she was dressed in a short and sweet pink flower dress, and was quite beautiful, but was weirded out as he scanned the two faces before him and realised they were extremely alike somehow; the same mischievous gleam in her big, brown eyes as the Gryffindor had more than ones encountered in his friends’.

“Are you Taehyung?” She grinned. “Welcome!”

Hoseok, who was wearing a plain white short-sleeve on top of light blue jeans, a white snapback on his head, nudged her with his elbow, causing her to back away with a soft, high-pitched yelp. “Don’t!” She snapped, and Hoseok rolled his eyes at Taehyung, who smiled a little awkwardly. 

“This is my sister, Dawon. She’s been harassing Yoongi ever since he arrived—“

“Not harassing! I’m sure Yoongi likes me.”

“Doubt it.”

“Hmph.”

“Anyway,” Hoseok continued while stepping aside to let Taeyhung inside, his sister disappearing into the noisy, seemingly busy room at the end of the hallway, “you’re just in time for food!”

“I’m glad,” Taehyung replied, “I’m sorry I’m late anyway, my mom made me go see Jiminie and Kook off.”

“Ah, how was that?” Hoseok asked hesitantly, knowing the subject to be somewhat sensitive. 

Taehyung merely shrugged while they stepped into the Jung’s residence living room, where a decent crowd of people had gathered for Mr. Jung’s birthday; witches and wizards in thin-layered and colourful summer robes, most with a drink in their hand and a blush on their cheeks, smiling and laughing, some engaged in serious-looking conversations. 

“’t Was alright, I suppose. Mrs. Park begged my mom for me to come with them to Italy, but my parents wouldn’t give in. Apparently my Aunt Gyedella isn’t doing so well, so they find it important I still visit her this summer.”

Hoseok and Taehyung squeezed themselves past the people and into the garden, where they were greeted by the strong smell of grilled meat coming from within a giant, green and white pin-striped party tent that was set up, providing shade from the burning sun. 

“I mean I suppose it is important,” Hoseok shrugged while leading them inside the tent, “it’s just a shame you’re missing out on a holiday with them just for that.”

“Yeah. Oh well,” Taehyung said, mustering a faint smile while they pressed further in past the people to the back. “When they come back home I’ll be staying at Jimin’s with them for the rest of the summer, so it’s all good. Besides, missing out on that did mean I was able to come today.”

Hoseok nodded happily. “I’m really glad! My parents are slaving away in the kitchen right now, so I’ll introduce you later. But right now—“ The Hufflepuff swung his arms in Taehyung’s direction, as if presenting him like a prized object. “Tadaa!”

“Hey Tae.”

“Hey man!”

“Hello.”

“Hiya!”

All the way in the back of the tent Taehyung was greeted by two familiar faces, and two unfamiliar ones. 

“Yoongi, Zed!” He replied to the first two, then addressing the third and fourth of the party; a man and a woman. “Hi, nice to meet you.” 

He reached out his hand to the man, who was most likely a few years older than himself – one with a friendly face that reminded him of Hoseok’s in a way, but more mature and his jawline chiselled; a trimmed, chinstrap beard enhancing the sharp features of his face – a dark brown to almost perfectly match his eyes and short, wavy hair, which was combed neatly back; a few baby hairs rebelling against his attempts to control them and playfully curling against his forehead. He was dressed in a black robe-suit; one that looked far too warm and formal for the occasion. The man took Taehyung’s hand with an amiable smile, giving it a firm, almost professional shake.

“Pleasure,” he said. “I’m Tai Jung. Hoseok’s cousin.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Taehyung turned to the woman sitting next to him who was wearing a slim-fitted, sparkling red summer dress and black heels. She seemed to be around the same age as Tai, her long black hair bundled up in a neat ponytail which hung to the front over her chest, her face much rounder and fuller than Tai’s, her cheeks colouring a dark shade of pink, and her eyes gleaming happily as she shook Taehyung’s hand with hers, a nearly empty glass of liquor in the other.

“I’m Yami, this one’s stepsister,” she said while giving a little nod in Tai’s direction. 

Taehyung took place on the lounge set next to Yoongi and opposite from Tai and Yami, putting the Turnip Wine on the table in front of him. He frowned and cast another glance at Yoongi while Hoseok took place on their left next to Zed.

“Aren’t you warm?” Taehyung chuckled, only now realising Yoongi was wearing a black sweater on top of ripped black jeans. The Slytherin shrugged, “I like these clothes. They’re comfortable.”

When Taehyung glanced at Zed, who was wearing a white button-up shirt on top of a pair of green jeans (quite an odd choice, Taehyung thought to himself – but then again, he knew very little about non-magical fashion himself to begin with), he realised this was the first time he was seeing them in Muggle clothes, having only known them all for less than a year. Zed smiled at him; his light brown eyes sparkling with excitement from underneath his black bangs.

“Did you watch the Falmouth Falcons versus Wimbourne Wasps game last week?”

“Oh man!” Taehyung instantly exclaimed. “I’m not a fanatic Wasps supporter, but that was an _epic_ win; very well-deserved.”

“Quidditch?” Tai asked curiously, and all heads turned his way, both Taehyung and Zed frowning deeply – almost as if offended by the question. 

“Yeah, man!” Zed answered. “These last matches will determine who will represent the UK in the European Quidditch Cup; we’ve already got season passes.”

“Are you serious?” Taehyung gaped at the Hufflepuff. “How?! Those don’t go on sale for at least another two weeks, and my mom and Mrs. Park usually get early press access too.”

“What, I never told you?” Zed grinned. “My mom is Head of the British and Irish Quidditch League Headquarters at the Ministry, Department of Magical Games and Sports! She has to attend a bunch of business meetings during the season, and I get to tag along. It’s mostly waiting around honestly, but—“

Taehyung jumped up from his seat, Yoongi flinching and responding with a short, low grunt. “That. Is. Awesome!” He exclaimed while pressing his palms flat on his cheeks. “But you don’t play Quidditch yourself. Why not?” He sat back down; Hoseok chuckling at Yoongi who leaned back as far as he could while letting his eyes flicker warily over the energetic Gryffindor next to him. 

“Nah, not my thing. I like watching, not playing. You’re really good, aren’t you?” Zed asked. “I’ll invite my mom to come watch next time you play a match, that’d be pretty cool. Maybe she can introduce you to some people.”

“Seriously?” Taehyung laughed. “Oh man, that’s awesome!”

“What position do you play, Taehyung?” Yami asked with a friendly smile, then emptying the rest of her glass.

“Seeker,” Taehyung answered. “Gryffindor House.”

“Oh no way!” She giggled. “I’m also a Gryffindor – or at least I _was_ , haha! I still tend to think in terms of Houses whenever I meet other people out of habit, but once you step out of school that doesn’t mean a lot anymore, really.”

Tai glanced at her, shaking his head with a smirk on his face. “The first thing you usually ask people is what House they were in,” to which Yami nodded. 

“It still says something about who they are, you know.”

“Don’t you think people change through the years, though?” Zed said. “Do you think that if you’d get sorted again in ten years you would end up in the same House as before, or could it be different?”

“Hm,” Yoongi exhaled, and all eyes turned to him. “Interesting theory. Your sorting is mostly based on what you value most, after all. That could change over the years.”

Hoseok nodded while staring to the side and tapping his fingers on his leg, thinking about the matter. “I agree, but then again – doesn’t it also have something to do with who you are at the core? Does that ever really change?”

“I don’t know. Don’t you maybe think that the founders may have been a little narrow-minded, sorting students based on only a few traits and values? Don’t we always have a bit of everything?” Taehyung asked a little hesitantly, and it was Tai who answered, eyeing the young Gryffindor intently as he did.

“In my humble opinion unity of people should always be a priority, with attention to individualism, of course. However, the division as it is at Hogwarts, no matter the well intentions of the Founders, may cause an obstruction to unity altogether. It is not right to categorise people, but we should instead focus on finding common ground,” he said, to which Yami snorted.

“Intelligently spoken like a true Ravenclaw,” she said, and Tai looked at her, choosing his words carefully before speaking. 

“This is what I mean. By saying that you imply that anyone from another House would not have the capability of being classified as intelligent, or perhaps even that Ravenclaw are not capable of thinking outside of the box, which is not true.”

Hoseok chuckled as Yami rolled her eyes and tried to take another sip out of her glass, which she sadly reminded of to be empty. “Yeah, yeah,” she sighed, “but there are also things as House pride and – _team spirit_ , which brings people together.”

“I won’t deny that,” Tai answered kindly, “but I stick to my case. Unity of people is important. Like you said; outside of Hogwarts Houses make very little difference anymore, especially in the work field.”

“What do you do, Tai?” Taehyung asked.

“I am a Medical Researcher for the Ministry. I carry most of my work out at St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries to oversee the development of new healing potions and spells.”

“Oh, that’s really cool, Yoongi also does something with—“ Taehyung was cut off mid-sentence by the Slytherin besides him who laid a hand on his shoulder, squeezing him hard as a warning of sorts. With an “ _ow!_ ” Taehyung glanced at him and he shook his head, his eyes dark.

“Ah, I’m sorry Yoongi,” the Gryffindor apologised, realising his friend would not want two strangers to know about the work he did. Yoongi offered him a faint smile, which relieved Taehyung, but it faded when the Slytherin was addressed by Yami.

“I’m sorry, I’m a really curious person, I can’t help it,” she said while leaning forward. “ _What_ do you do, exactly?”

For a moment, Yoongi stared at her, wondering to himself how someone could have the _nerve_ to pry into his business like that – someone he had just met. He snorted. “Spell work. Let’s keep it at that.”

“Oh!” Yami smiled. “But maybe Tai can help you get into the business after you graduate! I’m an Auror so I mostly do fieldwork, but he knows a lot of people within the Ministry.”

“Please don’t speak for me,” Tai told his stepsister, who sassily raised an eyebrow. 

“Well you got Dawon a job as Junior Mediwitch, and didn’t you say you were going to offer the same thing to Hobi?”

“They are my cousins.”

“And Yoongi is his best friend! Does that mean nothing to you? Never did I suspect my own brother – my own _flesh and blood_ would be so heartless!”

There was another sigh.

“You’re such a bother sometimes,” he smiled sarcastically back at Yami, who was beaming, then turned himself to Yoongi, “but she is not wrong. If you can tell me what it is you want to do after graduating, I could contact some people. That goes for all of you, since you are Hoseok’s friends.”

“Thank you for the offer,” Yoongi replied somewhat formally, “but for now I would rather keep my work between my partner and myself.”

“Understandable,” Tai nodded, then turning himself to the other boys. “And you?”

Taehyung shook his head. “I’m not sure yet, I—“ he hesitated, thinking about the events that had taken place last year and his lie about what the Room of Requirement had shown to him. “Probably something Quidditch-related.”

“I’ve been thinking about opening my own shop,” Zed answered, to which Hoseok raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Really?” 

“Yep. I’m not sure what type of shop yet, but I’ll see.”

“And you, Hobi?” Yami asked, everyone looking at the Hufflepuff who chuckled a little nervously. 

“I don’t really know.”

“Isn’t this your last year at Hogwarts?” She replied. “Surely you have _some_ idea of what you would want to do after graduating.”

Hoseok shook his head, a little ashamed to admit to his friends and family that he did not have a clue in the slightest about what he wanted to do in the future. “I’ll figure something out, I’m sure of it.”

Tai turned to him. “Don’t worry. Let’s meet up half-way through the year and discuss the possibilities,” to which the Hufflepuff smiled somewhat uneasy 

“Thanks, Tai.”

###### 

A warm and pleasant orange glow had almost completely conquered the sky, the last traces of blue now fading away as the night came in closer; summertime still offering Hoseok and Zed more than enough light and warmth to enjoy in the evenings. 

Everyone had left the Jung residence; Yami so tipsy upon returning home that she had fallen backwards, almost knocking Dawon off her feet in the hallway. Tai had formally apologised to his aunt and uncle, Disapparating with his arm locked in his stepsisters’. Yoongi had soon followed, now finally being allowed to Apparate as well since coming of age in the school year before, and Taehyung had been picked up by his parents.

After helping his parents clean up the house together with Dawon and Zed, Hoseok let himself sink onto one of the chairs outside in the garden with a content sigh; his belly full and his mind clouded with happy thoughts. After a minute he was joined outside by his friend and sister, who seemed to be engaged in conversation.

“—bakery?”

“Nah,” Zed replied. “I’m honestly no good at baking.”

Dawon frowned while taking place in the chair next to her brother. “How can you be _bad_ at baking?” She snorted. “You literally wave your wand a few times and pay attention to the heat stream regulation and timing, and—“

“No bakery, Daw!” Zed wagged his finger at her while joining the brother and sister in sitting down.

Hoseok laughed. “Are you talking about your shop?”

“I was hoping your brilliant sister would have some ideas, but alas,” the Hufflepuff sighed dramatically, “she’s just as stupid as the rest of us.”

“Young man,” Dawon raised her eyebrows at him while pursing her lips and crossing her arms, Hoseok staring from her to Zed and back with a smirk on his face, “at least I _have_ a job. You are still stuck at Hogwarts for another year – such a cute little boy, still.”

“You’re also indirectly insulting me; you know that right?” Hoseok chuckled, to which his sister nodded. 

“Oh yeah, I know that. You’ll always be my baby brother, Hobi. Two years makes a world of difference, but I suppose you will learn when you’re both older – a _real_ adult, like myself.”

The two boys laughed. “Sure,” Zed mockingly replied. “Such an adult.”

After hours of joking around and brainstorming about the future (Hoseok notably more quiet than usual), long after the daylight had faded from the sky, Dawon left for bed; the Jung parents also having retreated to rest up from the hectic day. The girl’s leave brought silence between the two friends for a few minutes, both leaning back comfortably in their chairs and closing their eyes; enjoying the cool night’s breeze.

“Just checking,” Hoseok finally said, “you still have a giant crush on my sister, don’t you?” to which his friend snorted. 

“Yep. Don’t worry, though – you heard her, she thinks I’m a cute little boy. Looks like I won’t be turning into your brother-in-law any time soon.”

For a moment, Hoseok was quiet, thinking about how things could potentially play out if Zed and Dawon did get together. He smirked, “Actually, that’d be pretty nice.”

From beside him, Zed sat upright in his chair and stared at him. Hoseok opened one eye with the smirk still on his face, taking in his friends’ wide-eyed surprise and nearly breathless stutter.

“Y-You’re serious?”

“Zed,” Hoseok leaned forward and locked eyes with the boy before him, his tone serious when he answered, “it was her you saw in the Room of Requirement. I know it took you a lot of courage to even admit that to me, and I know I was somewhat upset at first, but… If I would want my sister to end up with anyone it’d be you.”

Zed gaped at him, and Hoseok thought he saw his eyes gleam with both happiness and tears. Finally, he smiled and replied with a shuddering breath.

“That’s… a great compliment. Thank you.”

“Then again,” Hoseok snorted, “you might not even stand a chance, so good luck with that.”

“Jerk.”

Silence returned; different this time – the absence of conversation more pressing and serious, if anything. Hoseok’s mind was racing, having moved from thinking about his friend and his sister together about his own future again. However, there wasn’t much to think about. It was clouded; a room full of mist. A room that now took the form of the Room of Requirement whenever he pictured it.

“Zed,” he softly said, and his friend hummed in acknowledgement, “do you think that… seeing Dawon in the Room changed you?”

There was no immediate answer, and Hoseok figured the question could seem a little strange to his friend. He glanced to his side where he found Zed staring back at him, his brow slightly furrowed.

“I suppose you could say that,” he answered after thinking about it for a moment. “I think it made me accept what I feel for her as something serious, and not just a teen crush anymore as it started out at Hogwarts, you know? Made me want to embrace it and act on it, but I was afraid I’d lose you as a friend.”

“Of course not,” Hoseok instantly replied. “It’s a little weird, sure, but you wouldn’t lose me, Zed.” 

The other smiled. “That is good to know. I wouldn’t sacrifice our friendship for anything.”

The two leaned back in their chairs again, Hoseok staring up at the dark night sky with many other questions on his mind, hesitant to put them to words but something in side of him urging to be honest with his friend. 

“I ehm,” he started slowly, taking a deep breath before continuing. “I know that whatever happened inside the Room was bad – _really_ bad. You were in a terrible state, as were the other missing students, and from what I’ve heard from the guys facing their deepest desires was very confronting, but…” He stopped.

“But what?”

“I – please don’t think badly of me when I say this, but I just… I wish I had seen it too, you know?”

Zed’s chair creaked as he shifted to look at Hoseok, who keep staring at the sky above him, wanting to avoid eye contact at all costs as he felt his face flush.

“Your deepest desire, you mean?”

“Yeah. It seems to have changed the rest somehow. Wouldn’t anyone give anything to find out what it is they want most in life? Every since coming out of the Room everyone seemed different; _enlightened_ almost, but I… I’ve just been so lost.”

The confession lifted a load of Hoseok’s back. Even if Zed wouldn’t be able to understand, he was finally able to say it out loud to someone – finally able to admit to himself that out of all his friends, _he_ seemed to be the miserable one, despite being the sole person to not have fallen under the Room’s control. He was aware it was bad, but it was the truth.

“I suppose I get what you mean,” Zed replied, which gave Hoseok the courage to finally look him in the eyes. The expression on his friend’s face was far from confused or upset; it read warmth and empathy. “At our age it’s normal to not know what it is you want in life, and we were lucky enough to find out through the Room. Don’t get me wrong, the time I spent there was far from pleasant, but I do have to admit it shifted my perspective. I wouldn’t have wished it upon you honestly, but I do get what you mean.”

Hoseok felt his eyes well up with tears, doing his best to push them away. With a deep inhale and a nod, he mustered a weak smile. “What if I never find out?”

“You will,” Zed said. “And when you do you’ll see the answer was right in front of you all this time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Real quick just in case: The last sentence does not mean to imply that Hoseok is secretly in love with Zed :') (or anyone else n_n'').


	2. A Summer of Friendship

****

###  **Chapter 2 – A Summer of Friendship**

****

**_Pop_ **

“Hello sir, yes you— please come this way, off the platform before someone Apparates on top of you.”

Yoongi quickly stepped forward towards the woman that had addressed him. She smiled kindly at him when he approached her, and he noticed a badge pinned on her bright red robes that read _’Hostess’_. 

There was a crowd of people around them; most of them happily smiling and excitedly chattering with each other as they entered the building in front of them; an enormous venue with a magically enchanted roof, projecting, what seemed to be, the entire solar system into the blue sky above. Behind him Yoongi could hear wizards and witches Apparate onto the site, being called off the designated Apparation-platforms the organisation had set-up for the occasion. 

The hostess held up her wand into the air. “Welcome to the 586th edition of the Distinctive Exhibition of Magical Innovation and Novelty, or as many like to call it the D.E.M.I.N, formerly known as D.E.M.O.N, which we finally managed to change after _long_ years of petitioning, ohahaha!” 

Yoongi smiled politely, not wanting to seem rude. “Thank you,” he answered, and the woman swished her wand in the air, conjuring a hologram.

“If you would please hold out your wand, I will transfer the map of the venue to you. There are three floors filled with magical adventure! The first floor is history of magical innovation and discoveries throughout the ages, the second floor is dedicated to equipment and inventions, and the third floor to spell demonstrations.”

Quickly, Yoongi slid his wand out of the inside pocket of his black and white skull jacket and pointed it at the hologram.

“Datio,” the woman spoke.

There was a flash of blue light that zapped the hologram into a little ball, which then flew into the tip of Yoongi’s wand. 

“You can summon the map at any given time within the venue by tapping your wand onto the palm of your hand two times. The map will automatically disappear once you step out of the building,” the woman explained, and Yoongi nodded, tapping his wand like she had instructed him and summoning the map from his wand.

“Great, thank you,” he told her, “can you direct me to the meeting point?”

“Of course, it’s right over there,” she pointed to inside the building, and, past the crowd of colourful summer robes, Yoongi spotted a red monolith which seemed to reach up all the way to the ceiling, red sparkles softly raining down on the people below it, including a tall youngster that stood out in the crowd; a baby pink cap on top of his head, matching his light pink short-sleeved shirt which he was wearing under denim dungarees, paired with a set of light brown mountain boots, and huge black-framed glasses pressed onto his face (which Yoongi knew were just for show). 

“Thank you very much,” Yoongi told the hostess. “Have a nice day.”

“You too, sir.”

Squeezing himself between the crowd, Yoongi approached the monolith, and the youngster he had his eyes on spotted him as he came in closer, smiling excitedly and waving at him. 

“Good to see you, Yoongi!”

“You too, Namjoon,” Yoongi answered.

“Tut tut,” the Ravenclaw raised an eyebrow and smirked, “that’s Professor Kim to you very soon, young man.”

Yoongi snorted. “Fuck that! Also, I know we agreed to come in Muggle clothing, but what the hell are you wearing?”

“Huh?” Namjoon looked down at his outfit. “I thought these clothes would be okay. They’re awfully comfortable if I’m honest, bit warm maybe—“

“And pink.”

The Ravenclaw observed Yoongi from head to toe with a smirk. “Well not everyone can be an elegant prince of darkness like yourself. Black shirt, black skull jacket – an excellent grim Muggle outfit to match your soul.”

“My jeans are blue, you idiot,” Yoongi laughed. “I’m also pretty sure dungarees have been out of fashion for a while now.”

“What are dungarees?”

“Never mind.”

The two laughed and turned away from the monolith, following the stream of wizard and witches further into the exhibition. Namjoon held his wand up and observed the map.

“I’ve calculated in about two hours per floor, which should give us more than enough time. However, I imagine you’ll want to hang out the spell demonstrations for a while longer.”

“I honestly don’t mind,” Yoongi shrugged one hand in the pocket of his jacket while holding his wand in the other. “Let’s just look around.”

After spending three quarters of an hour on the first floor, Yoongi was finally able to pull Namjoon away from the (somewhat boring) historical part of the exhibition and take the elevator to the second floor, which was significantly more spacious and busier. As soon as they stepped out on the floor with another hand full of people, there were _”aaah”_ ’s and _“oooh”_ ’s from all around them.

The walls were covered in enormous red banners, each beautifully embroidered with golden letters that were magically enchanted to sparkle.

“Household, travel, leisure, education, safety,” Namjoon read out. “Anything in particular you want to go to?”

“Nah, you can choose,” Yoongi answered while looking around, taking in the overwhelming crowd; people huddled in groups around booths in awe, with the occasional applause coming from somewhere further up ahead.

The two walked past countless booths; some so busy they could only catch a mere glimpse of what was being presented. However, Namjoon managed to squeeze the both of them into the front row at almost every booth somehow (which got them disapproving stares more than once, which, Yoongi was convinced, also may have had something to do with their choice of clothing).

 _ **~The Insta-Owl~**_  
_Not an owl-lover? No problem! With the Insta-Owl you can send instant voice-messages from one house to another. The Insta-Owl Network gives each Insta-Owl a unique code which you can dial to contact other Insta-Owl users!_

“You’d think that the Wizarding community would have picked up on phones by now,” Yoongi snorted upon reading the sign and he shook his head.

_**~Miracle Make-Up Mirror~** _  
_Choose a new look for each day! Select your preferred look in the Miracle Make-Up Mirror and be ready to step outside with a simple flick of your wand!_

“Oh look, Namjoon,” Yoongi smirked, “maybe there is some hope for your face after all.”

“Shut the fuck up!”

_**~Magical Muggle Money Pouch~** _  
_Struggling to handle Muggle currency? Put all your Muggle money in the Magical Muggle Money Pouch and never calculate another day in your life. Whisper the exact amount to your Pouch and it will give you the Muggle bills and coins you need!_

“Household is a bit boring, want to move on to something else?” Namjoon asked, which Yoongi was extremely happy with.

“This way,” he told the Ravenclaw, and led the two of them around the crowd, past the booths and into the next section. For a while they strolled mindlessly, eyeing the many inventions and discussing their uses; the two agreeing that this floor seemed to be a marketspace more than an exhibition with the many wizard and witches pushing each other around with Galleons clenched in their fists.

“Hmm, what’s this?”

Yoongi stopped in front of a nearly empty booth to observe a set of small silver rectangular-shaped devices, each about the size of a lighter. There was a small sign on the table that only read two words.

_**Disapparate Trackers** _

“These are the new, Ministry-approved, Disapparate Trackers,” the woman behind the booth explained. “They are linked with each other and to be given to two individuals. May one Disapparate, the other can always follow through the link of the trackers, and visa versa.”

Namjoon joined Yoongi in observing the devices. “That sounds a little dangerous, doesn’t it? You could just plant it on someone and follow them anywhere.”

The woman nodded in agreement. “You are absolutely right. That is why only licensed Auror’s and certain Ministry employees are allowed to purchase them at this time.”

“Ah,” Yoongi said, “so that’s why no one’s interested in this booth.” 

“Unfortunately that seems to be the case. Much like many people in the Muggle community, wizards and witches seem to obsess more over materialistic possession these days rather than having a passion for innovation,” she replied. “Ah, it never used to be like this, but I suppose even the Wizarding community changes with time. I can show you how they work if you’d like.”

After testing the devices and a small chat, the two took their leave from the booth and went up the elevator to the third floor. It was still fairly busy here, but significantly less than on the second floor; it also seemed the spell demonstrations attracted a somewhat older and calmer crowd, which neither of the two youngster minded much.

With every booth they passed Yoongi seemed to be getting more and more excited; his eyes twinkling in the light of the sparkles that shot out of wands and colourful, lively projections in the air. After about half an hour he found himself clapping the loudest of everyone, wanting to make small talk with the demonstrators (which was mostly disappointing, seeing as they were not spell inventors themselves but merely staff).

“Sir, yes you! You look like the type to easily lose your possessions.”

Yoongi laughed when Namjoon was picked out of the crowd in the middle of a demonstration. 

He pointed at himself. “Who, me?!”

“Yes, you! And don’t worry, that’s a wonderful thing today. Why don’t you let me demonstrate; if I may have your glasses?”

“Ehh—“

Yoongi did not hesitate to lean in and rip the glasses of Namjoon face, handing them to the demonstrator, who smiled. 

“Excellent! Now, say you’ve lost your glasses somewhere and you can’t find them, because – well you can’t _see_ , can you? Of course you could try to _Accio_ them, but where’s the fun in that? No, no, let me show you!”

The man held up Namjoon’s glasses in the air and pointed his wand at them. 

“Et track vestigum! _Glasses_!”

A silver string squirted out of the tip of the wand and wrapped itself around the item; fading only after it had covered the entire frame.

“Now,” the man said while lowering his wand and handing the glasses to his assistant, “would you be so kind as to take these glasses out of sight?”

“Of course.”

The assistant disappeared behind the other booths, and the demonstrator waited for a minute or two before dramatically continuing; the rest of the people at the booth excitedly anticipating what was about to happen next.

“That should do it. Now! As you could all see I cast a spell on this young man’s glasses, which we call the _Trace the Place_. After the spell I called out a specific password for this item, meaning that if I swish my wand like this,” the man swirled his wand around, “and call out the password: Glasses!”

“Ooooooh!”

A projection appeared in mid air from the tip of his wand; a crystal clear image of the demonstrator’s assistant holding Namjoon’s glasses in his hands, most likely further up ahead in the area.

“Now, as you can see the location of the item is revealed to me, which means that if I observe the environment and concentrate… hnnggg!”

**_Pop_ **

There were gasps from the crowd and Yoongi looked at Namjoon with a smile, who had his eyebrows raised and mouth slightly open in awe.

**_Pop_ **

With the second Apparating sound the demonstrator was back, _with_ Namjoon’s glasses in his hand. He held them up in the air and there was applause from all around.

“Thank you, thank you!” He called out over the crowd. “Please find the Trace the Place in the D.E.M.I.N limited 586th Edition Book of Spells and enrich your life! This spell only works within a perimeter of one kilometre, keep that in mind! Thank you for watching.”

Namjoon took his glasses back from the demonstrator, who thanked him for allowing him to borrow his glasses and sent them off with a smile. 

“You know,” Namjoon told Yoongi as they sat down on one of the benches in a resting area with a drink, “your work could totally be presented here one day.”

“Ah, I’m not sure,” Yoongi answered, taking a sip of his drink and stretching his legs out. “Maybe I’m a bit paranoid, but I’m not ready to share my stuff with everyone else, you know? You guys, sure, but…”

“Afraid someone will take credit for your work?”

“Maybe. I met Hobi’s cousins last week and one of them, Tai, offered us his network to see what we can do after graduation, but it just didn’t feel right. I just really feel like I want to make it on my own, without anyone’s help.”

“Yoongi, that’s ridiculous,” Namjoon shook his head. “A lot of us have connections in the Wizarding world, but you don’t. Your parents are Muggles, so I bet they wouldn’t know how to help you after graduation.” 

The Slytherin snorted and nodded. “Yeah,” he slowly said, “they don’t really understand that I want a wizarding career to be completely honest. I suppose somewhere deep down they always hoped I’d still get a Muggle job and be a model citizen; my dad especially, he’s pretty strict and conservative. I think they want to support me, but they don’t know how.”

“See?” Namjoon said. “That’s what I mean. My parents both work at the Ministry, so I could easily ask them to help you out. There’s no shame in that.”

“I don’t know…”

There was a moment of silence where the two watched the slimming crowd pass by, the late afternoon marking the time for most people to return home again. 

“That reminds me,” Namjoon suddenly began, “how _was_ the party at Hobi’s house?”

“Oh, it was nice,” Yoongi answered. “Lot of Quidditch talk, but that’s what you’ll get with Tae and Zed together. It’s a shame you and Seokjin couldn’t be there; how was the teacher day thing?”

“Teacher day thing?” Namjoon snorted. “The introduction at Hogwarts was fine. It was strange being in the castle in the summer; I didn’t really like how empty it was, but it gave me a new perspective on the place. Apparently Jin and I will be sharing an office as we’re both still Apprentice-Teachers.”

Yoongi laughed, imagining Namjoon and Seokjin crammed in a tiny space, bickering over nothing. “No shit, that’ll be fun. Now you guys can be together all the time, just like he wanted.”

“Honestly, I have no single clue _why_ he wanted to stay at Hogwarts. He had always been dying to get out of there into the ‘real world’.”

“Hmm,” the Slytherin’s mind wandered to the time they all shared in the Room of Requirement, and the state Seokjin had been in upon discovering his best friend had disappeared. “Maybe he’s scared to face it alone; with you staying at Hogwarts.”

“Maybe.”

“Has he… told you what he saw in the Room of Requirement? His deepest desire?”

“No,” Namjoon sighed, “he treats it like a joke every time I asked, so I’ve stopped asking.”

"Maybe what he saw in the Room required him to stay behind too, just like you.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

After wandering around for another half an hour, the two decided to call it a day. Yoongi paid two Galleons for the D.E.M.I.N spellbook, and excitedly scanned through the pages as they made their back back to the Apparation platforms outside of the venue.

“I bet I could even tweak some of these, maybe improve them. I’ll only ask Jungkook to test them for me if I really have to, but—“

“Yoongi,” Namjoon interrupted him as they stepped into the fresh summer air, a slight breeze welcoming them pleasantly and several hosts making a little bow as they approached the line for the platforms. “You know you’re not alone, right?”

“What are you getting all sappy for?”

“I’m serious, you jerk. You have amazing talent and I’m not going to let that go to waste just because you’re too stubborn to ask for help.”

“Wh—hey, let go!”

Namjoon pulled Yoongi by his arm onto the platform with force, gifting the platform hostess with a wide smile, and with a _pop_ the two of them Disapparated.

###### 

“Ehm,” Yoongi hesitantly started, “thank you for inviting me to dinner, Mrs. Kim.”

“It’s our pleasure. Namjoon always speaks very highly of you.”

“He does?”

“Oh yes. He told us all about how your spell saved everyone in the Room of Requirement.”

“He did?”

“He most certainly did; an impressive achievement I’d say! And your other friend who helped oh err— I can never remember his name. I know it reminds me of a cookie—“

“Jungkook, mom.”

“Yes Jungkookie! From what I’ve heard you two are quite the pair. Oh sweetheart,” Namjoon’s mother turned around towards the kitchen, “how is dinner coming along? Do you need help?”

“I’m done now, love.”

Mr. Kim came pacing into the living room with a set of plates and steaming pans levitating out in front of him in the air, his wand in his hand. The resemblance between Namjoon and his father was uncanny; they had the exact same shade of brown hair and eyes, and were approximately the same height; Namjoon’s mother being about a head shorter than the both of them, with short black hair – and her smile like Namjoon’s; dimply and amiable. 

Slowly, Mr. Kim lowered everything down on the table, which had been neatly set by Namjoon earlier after introduction were made between Yoongi and his parents (the Slytherin was not given much of a choice in the matter of coming to the Kim’s house or staying for dinner), and Yoongi could not help but smile at the pink apron Mr. Kim was wearing on top of his blue summer robes. The pleasant smell of bakes potatoes, meat and grilled vegetables filled the room, and Yoongi felt his mouth water.

“How he does it, I have no idea. I couldn’t cook if my life depended on it. And he likes to do it the Muggle way too sometimes!” Mrs. Kim giggled as her husband took a seat at the table together with the others. “Oh, your parents are Muggles, right? What do they do, if I may ask?”

“Well,” Yoongi started as Namjoon took the liberty to scoop his plate full with food, “my father is an Accountant, which mean he works in the Muggle money business, and my mother is a lecturer at one of the top Muggle universities in the country.”

“Oh that sounds absolutely wonderful, such a high status in the Muggle community! They must be so proud that you’re a wizard; you could teach them all about our world – we should have them over for dinner and show them the Ministry—“

“Muggles at the Ministry, dear?” Mr. Kim asked while digging into his potatoes. “I highly doubt that would be appropriate.”

“Well we’d have to ask Phillipus first, but—“

“Excuse me for interrupting, but you don’t mean _the_ Phillipus Garmont, Minister of Magic, do you?” Yoongi asked with his fork hanging in mid-air on its way to his mouth.

“Oh yes,” Mrs. Kim answered cheerfully. “He can be quite a stiff when it comes to work, but we are very friendly with each other. I’m sure it’ll be no problem for your parents to come visit the Ministry. Surely they would want to see your future workplace.”

“M-My… Sorry?”

“Well we had always been hoping to offer Namjoon a place at the Ministry, or perhaps Seokjin, but since they have both decided to stay at Hogwarts to teach – which we fully support, of course – it would only be right to use our connections to help one of their dearest friends.”

“Ehh—“ Namjoon turned to Yoongi, offering him a guilty smile. “I may have already asked my parents if they had a job for you after graduation.”

Yoongi gaped wide-eyed around the dinner table, from his friend to Mrs. Kim and Mr. Kim, who both laughed at the sight of his utter shock. 

“Naturally you would still have to come in for an official interview with the Head of Magical Innovation,” Mr Kim shrugged while taking a bite of his food. “But oh— that would be _me_ , haha!”

Still with his mouth wide open and his food untouched, Yoongi stared at Mr. Kim, who chewed on his vegetables eagerly and put down his fork on his plate, then leaning in over the table towards the young Slytherin; his eyes gleaming with excitement.

“Now let’s see that notebook of yours, shall we?”

###### 

The summer night sky was dark, but Namjoon and Yoongi found themselves under the light of their wands; a pleasant breeze keeping them from burning up from the vodka (Namjoon being absolutely baffled at the existence of the substance) they had picked up from a Muggle night shop close to the Kims’ house – one the Ravenclaw had never been to before in his life.

Mr. and Mrs. Kim had announced their leave to a theatre show after dinner, which had been absentmindedly (and somewhat coldly) chewed away under a passionate exploration of Yoongi’s spell notebook; something the Slytherin had been reluctant to share with Namjoon’s parents at first, but soon finding himself unable to push away the excitement he felt upon discovering Mr. Kim’s extensive knowledge of spell invention and practice, and Mrs. Kim incredible intellect and fast learning ability (she had managed to cast his Hologram Hex successfully within only five minutes). 

Namjoon had watched his parents and Yoongi affectionately from in the background, smiling as Yoongi had slowly loosened up; willingly sharing more and more of his self-invented spells and ideas with every passing minute, and both adults expressing great interest and admiration.

Now the two were sat comfortably outside in the garden, buzzed from their drinks and both giggling madly at nothing in particular. 

“—and I made Jin think those were my _actual_ History of Magic notes, and he— hahaha, he _failed_!”

“HAHAHA,” Yoongi roared, his drink spilling over the edges of his glass onto his hand the ground. “Serves him right!”

“That’s what I said!”

The Slytherin sucked the liquid of his hand, unashamed, then snorting at Namjoon’s frown. The Ravenclaw started laughing, bending over in his chair and forgetting he was holding a drink, resulting in the glass slipping from his hand and shattering into pieces on the garden tiles.

“FFFWUAHAHAHA!” Yoongi’s voice boomed through the area, and Namjoon stared down at his spilled alcohol and the shards of glass sadly.

“Reparo?” Namjoon hesitated, and the shards quickly formed themselves back into the glass; its’ former contents unfortunately lost to nature. “Oh man! Can you pour me some more bodka?”

“I-It’s v-vod— Hahahaha… y-yeah sure.”

“I m-might…” Namjoon hiccupped, “…might ask you to buy me some more.”

“What? The shop is just around the corner.”

“Yeaaaaah,” Namjoon sighed while Yoongi provided him with another glass of alcohol. “I might not… be of legal Muggle drinking age yet… maybe… _mayb—_

“Wait, _what?_ The Slytherin gaped at his friend. “What’s your birth year?!”

“…1995.”

“I’m _older than you_?!” Yoongi laughed, pleasantly surprised by the new information. “What a plot twist!”

“Hmyeaah,” Namjoon nodded slowly while staring at the drink in his hand, “I skipped a year in elementary school, and then another in high school. I actually think Hobi might be older than me to, b-but don’t tell the rest!”

“Ha, fuck that; I’m telling everyone!”

The two’s laughter slowly but surely faded, making place for a comfortable silence in which they took the opportunity to slowly sip on their drinks and stare at the sky, enjoying the warmth the night still provided them with.

The wordless moment they shared gave Namjoon time to think, feeling a certain sentiment build up inside of him and the strong urge to share this with his friend. He had, however, never really been one to deal with emotions all that well to begin with, so he decided to make small talk instead.

“This drink is really great,” he said. “I can’t believe I have never tried it before. I mean… It’s much… stronger than Butterbeer, that’s for sure – much less… creamy. What was it made of, you said? _Potatoes?_ That’s so… great. Muggles never cease to amaze me. Honestly, I don’t know how they survive in this world without m-magic, but to them it must be the most normal thing in the world. Can you imagine having to clean an entire house by… by hand? Oh, I suppose you could since you are Muggleborn, I’m sorry… How was it for you to hear you were a wizard anyway?”

There was no response.

“Yoongi?”

Namjoon glanced to his side and found Yoongi with his mouth open and eyes closed, head leaned back into the chair.

“Yoongi?!”

There was a snort and Yoongi opened his eyes, bewilderedly turning his head to Namjoon.

“Huh?!”

“Did you fucking fall asleep?!” The Ravenclaw smirked, to which the other shook his head in denial.

“No!” Yoongi’s voice cracked, and he scraped his throat, his mouth pressing into a straight line while he raised an eyebrow. “You… _You_ fell—ssleep.”

There was a snort from Namjoon. “Whatever you want, man.”

The Slytherin shifted, stretching his legs out and sighing deeply. The two youngsters both enjoyed lounging back in their chairs and sharing a quiet moment with each other; both lost in their own trail of thoughts with words on the tip of their tongues – words neither of them were particularly comfortably with speaking.

“You know,” Namjoon began courageously after a while, “I’m really glad you came with me today.”

Yoongi turned his head and stared at his friend, his brow furrowing. “It’s not like you gave me much of a choice,” he said, but then smiled. “But I’m really glad too. Your parents are really nice and well…” he paused for a moment and tugged at the zipper of his jacket while staring at the ground. “Thank you.”

The Ravenclaw was taken by surprise; setting Yoongi up without his knowledge could have played out very differently as it had. He knew his parents would be excited about his work, and would be more than willing to listen to his inventions and ideas, but whether the Slytherin would have wanted to share was another thing.

“You’re… You’re welcome,” Namjoon replied slowly. “I wasn’t sure whether you’d be okay with it, to be honest. I know you’re a private person, and—“

“Nooo, no. You were completely right, y’know? I’m just too… too _stubborn_ for my own good sometimes!” Yoongi slurred the words, but this was something that went unnoticed with his friend, who was far too intoxicated himself. “It was so… so hard to even share my work with Jungkook. I dunno… I guess I’m just… insecure. Feel like I won’t be as good as purebloods like you.”

“Purebloods like… me? Yoongi you’re a genius, you realise that, right?”

“I don’t know.”

“Oh shut your mouth. You’re honestly one of the most talented and… and clever wizards I’ve ever met in my life!”

…

“Really?”

“Really.”

For a few minutes, the youngsters enjoyed the silence that came after; both awkwardly occasionally glancing at the other, but never really making eye contact. Namjoon took a deep breath, thinking about what he wanted to say.

“You and Jungkook should work together once he graduates.”

Maybe it had not been exactly what he had wanted to say initially, but the thought of Yoongi and Jungkook working as a team outside of Hogwarts nestled a sense of warmth and affection inside of him, and he smiled. “I really think you should.”

“I mean,” Yoongi started, “that would be great. He’s… he’s a good kid. He’s smart, brave, resourceful, I— honestly, he’s just great. Don’t get me wrong, Hobi is my best friend; the best friend you could ever imagine having, but Jungkook… he’s something else. He’s special.” Namjoon smiled at the confession, to which Yoongi snorted. “Don’t tell him that I said that, though, he’ll get all bratty, hah!”

“No, I totally get what you mean. Jin he’s— he’s my best friend. The best friend I’ve ever had,” the Ravenclaw replied. “I never really focused much on making friends, since my grades were always more important to me, but when I met Jin… I don’t know. I guess I found something in him I never really realised I needed.”

Yoongi smiled and opened his mouth, hearing the words come out of his mouth before he could think about them. “Namjoon, do you know how scared Seokjin was when you disappeared in the Room of Requirement?”

“What?” Namjoon frowned. “Was he?”

“Yeah,” Yoongi answered, knowing Seokjin would kill him if he knew he was sharing this with Namjoon. “I’ve never seen him like that before. It’s like… he had a panic attack or something. I… I think he really values your friendship. You’re his best friend too, probably also the best he’s ever had. I could tell.”

There was a soft chuckle from the Ravenclaw, and he took a slow sip of his drink while avoiding eye contact with Yoongi, feeling his entire face flush. 

“I didn’t know.”

“I know.”

…

“Namjoon?”

…

“Yeah?”

…

“You’re... also my best friend.”

Namjoon smiled. “You’re mine too, Yoongi.”


	3. A Summer of Jealousy

****

###  **Chapter 3 - A Summer of Jealousy**

****

**_Dear Jimin and Jungkook,_**

**_It is very good to hear you’ve both had a nice time in Italy, although I do – naturally – expect you to bring me back an amazing gift. Of course, both Namjoon and I will only be teaching first- and second year students for now, but it might be wise for the both of you to start sucking up to us for the years to come. Especially you, Kook. I’ll have to practice my Professor-voice._**

**_Mr. Jeon. DETENTION!_**  
**_Yes, I like the sound of that._**

**_Anyway, Namjoon and I will be heading to the castle a day before the students arrive to set things up, so we will not be seeing each other before that, I suppose. I have been quite occupied, so my apologies for not writing back any sooner. I hope you both enjoy the rest of your summer break; send my regards to Taehyung._**

**_See you at Hogwarts,_**  
**_Seokjin._**

Jungkook put the letter back in the envelope it had arrived it as soon as Jimin leaned back in his chair, taking it as a sign he was done reading.

“Ha, can you imagine?” Jimin said with a smirk. “Tae and I will be out of school in two years, but you might still have either one of them as your Professor.”

Jungkook groaned while closing the envelope and grabbing a blank piece of paper from beside it and a pen. “Don’t remind me. Seokjin would bully me in class so much!”

“Who knows,” Jimin replied, “maybe he’ll favour you and give you better grades.”

The youngest snorted, rolling his eyes.“Yeah _right_.”

As it had been for the past couple of weeks, Italy was blazing hot. Jimin and Jungkook sat in their usual spot under a bright green parasol on the crowded terrace of their charming hotel in the middle of the city, both with ice-cold sodas to help them get through the heat; Mr. and Mrs. Park both out to do some last-minute souvenir shopping before they would all leave for home again tomorrow.

For Jungkook, the experience of being away with a friend – one of his best friends, was the most amazing thing on earth. Jimin and him had roamed the streets, exploring every sweet spot the city had to offer; treating themselves to at least three servings of the sweetest, creamiest strawberry ice cream of a small authentic shop about a twenty-minute walk away from their hotel. The presence of the wizarding community here, just like at home, was barely noticeable. They thought they recognised the occasional subtle wave of a wand or flash of summer robe here and there, but the latter could have been foreign fashion; they weren’t entirely sure. Even the hotel they had stayed in seemed to be full of Muggles – and they, themselves, blended in perfectly.

Jimin’s parents were a great fan of retreating ‘the Muggle way’, as they called it, from time to time; they found it to be a much simpler lifestyle, and would often find themselves coming back home to appreciate their magical abilities much more than before. 

"How they do it, these Muggles," Mr. Park had said one night, "I have no clue! I know that may sound incredibly ignorant, but don't you ever wonder if they would want to have abilities like us if they would get the chance to?"

Of course blending it with the Muggles wasn’t so difficult for Jimin or Jungkook, since neither of the two was allowed to do magic out of Hogwarts just yet, but the holiday had been as enjoyable as it could have been – at least, after Jungkook had managed to distract Jimin from Taehyung’s absence from their trip.

“He _always_ comes with us, Kook,” Jimin had whined on their first day, more than once. “It’s just weird. I mean don’t get me wrong, I’m really happy that you’re coming with us, but I guess… I guess it’s just not the same without Tae. I wish he could’ve been here too.”

Jungkook had felt a little awkward at first, not knowing how to comfort the elder, but had soon discovered that Jimin was quite easily distracted, thankfully. 

“Okay, do you have the photos?” Jimin asked Jungkook, who had already jotted the first words on paper.

**_Dear Tae,_**

“Oh, yeah!”

From out of his bag on the ground, Jungkook took a few polaroid photos that Jimin and him had taken that week; amongst them a shot of a statue (hidden to Muggles) of a famous Italian Quidditch player, which Jimin had freaked out over when they had spotted it (Jungkook failing in sharing his enthusiasm, resulting in Jimin sulking about his lack of Taehyung for the rest of the day), a photo of their hotel, one of the ice cream shop, and one of Jungkook and Jimin together on the beach.

Jungkook placed the photos on the table next to the paper and looked at his friend. “Okay, what should we say? I mean we’ve sent him about ten letter this holiday, but we’ve only gotten two back. Do you think we sent him too many?”

“Nah, knowing Tae he was just not bothered to write back. He was probably too busy playing Quidditch,” Jimin replied casually. “Okay, write that we can’t wait to see him tomorrow, and we’ll have lots of fun for the rest of the summer break? And… he should think about what he wants to do when we’re together.”

The youngest nodded while scribbling down Jimin’s words, shoving the paper towards him when he finished.

**_Dear Tae,_**

**_It’s been great here, but we both can’t wait to see you tomorrow! We honestly wish your parents would’ve let you come, but we’ve said that before. Have you thought of anything you’d want to do during the rest of our break? Think about it._**

**Jimin and Jungkook.**

“Perfect!” Jimin smiled, taking the letter from off the table, folding it with the photos inside and sliding it into an envelope. “I’ll let mom zap it away as soon as she comes back. Want to go get some ice cream?”

“Actually,” Jungkook replied while taking another blank piece of paper to write on, “I have one more letter to send. Give me a few minutes?”

“Sure, I’ll be in our room. It’s so hot out here!” Jimin took his drink from off the table, leaving Jungkook behind to his writing.

The youngest stared at the paper for a minute, not knowing exactly how to start; somehow he never really knew. Perhaps it was a certain fear of sounding stupid or perhaps too needy that held him back so much, but that was ridiculous; nothing out of his friend’s letters indicated that he felt that way.

**_Dear Yoongi,_**

**_Tomorrow Jimin and I will be returning back home. I’ll be staying with him for the rest of the summer, and Taehyung is joining us, but I think I’ve told you that before._**

He definitely had. Jungkook sighed, but continued despite his awkwardness.

**_How have you been? I’m glad the D.E.M.I.N was good, and oh— I’m still not over the fact that both Hobi and you are older than Namjoon? _Professor_ Kim Namjoon? Ha, that's hilarious!_**

**_I know we won’t see each other for a while, still, but I’m really excited to work on testing the spells you came up with over the break. I think you mentioned something about duo-spells? It sounds interesting, but potentially also dangerous. Of course I don’t mind that at all._**

**_Hope you enjoy the rest of your break. Feel free to write me whenever._**  
**_I’ll see you soon,_**  
**_Kook._**

_Feel free to write me whenever?_ Jungkook cringed at himself and started crossing the words out, ensuring that they were not readable anymore before slipping it into an envelope and jotting Yoongi’s address on the front (which he now knew by heart). He took his drink and headed inside to find Jimin for one last Italian ice cream.

###### 

“Are you sure we’ve bought everything?”

“Yes, you have your list, Eon Jin.”

“But I mean _besides_ the list? Is there anything the cool kids have that Hogwarts that’s _not_ on there?”

“Noooo, you’re fine. Leave me alone! I’m trying to pack.”

Taehyung grumpily flung his Quidditch knee-protectors in the open trunk on his bedroom floor; one that his father had magically enchanted for him to fit much more than originally intended. The young Gryffindor had never been one to pay much attention to what he needed to bring on trips, which usually resulted in him begging his parents to send his forgotten belongings over. 

This time was no different, if not worse. Taehyung stamped through his room, mindlessly grabbing everything he deemed slightly essential and throwing it across the room in the direction of his trunk; even a pair of unwashed briefs accidentally finding their way in.

“What is up with you today? Geez!” His little sister snapped at him from in the doorway. She had her Hogwarts letter in her hands, and the list of school books and materials with it. Unlike her brother’s blonde hair, hers was long and dark; taking more after their father. The colour of their eyes, however, was the same dark hazel brown. If you looked closely enough, you were able to find a likeliness between the two’s features, but it was generally difficult to tell they were siblings; their personalities more than often clashing as well.

“If you would just focus on your packing instead of getting so worked up over _nothing_ all the time, like you’ve done all summer—“

“Eon Jin!” Taehyung interrupted her, angrily turning his head her way. “ _Why_ are you still here?”

His sister stared at him blankly for a few seconds, then lowering her head and averting her eyes to the ground. “I just wanted to spend some time with you before you’re off to Jimin’s house.”

Taehyung stopped rummaging through one of his drawers and sighed, realising his mood had been affecting his behaviour towards Eon Jin more than it should have. He glanced at her and mustered a smile. “I’m sorry,” he said, and she looked up, her expression brightening a little. “I’m very stressed. If you want, you can sit here while I pack.”

Eon Jin nodded happily. “Okay!” She sat down on her brother’s bed with a smile, legs crossed. “Was it hard for you to get used to Hogwarts?” She asked.

Taehyung thought about the question while pulling open another drawer, scanning its’ contents for anything useful to bring. “Hmm,” he hummed. “I suppose not. Jimin was there with me from the start.”

“But you were sorted into other Houses.”

“Yeah, but he was still there. He was always there, you know? I think if he hadn’t been I would’ve been more nervous.”

“Mhm.”

Eon Jin fell silent, and Taehyung took the opportunity to count the books he had thrown into his luggage.

_Four, five, six… Surely he was missing a book off the list. Did he leave it in the living room? Maybe—_

“Who’s this?”

“Hmm?”

Taehyung turned around and spotted something in his sister’s hand; a photo. He instantly reached for it and swiped it away from her. “Why are you going through my stuff?!” He hissed, and she frowned.

“I wasn’t! It was on the floor! …Did Jimin take someone else to Italy?”

The Gryffindor groaned at the question and took a deep breath. “Get out,” he commanded Eon Jin, quickly correcting his tone of voice with a grunt. “Sorry I— Can you please… leave me alone while I pack? We’ll still talk before I go.”

Eon Jin left the room, sulking on her way out and slamming the door shut behind her. Taehyung was left with his thoughts; thoughts he had been trying to avoid all summer. Thoughts that evoked something inside of him unlike he had ever experienced before. He unclenched his fist and stared at the crumpled photo inside of his hand; a new, but now familiar feeling raging inside of him as Jimin and Jungkook both smiled happily at him from within the white-framed polaroid, each with a giant ice cream cone in their hand.

###### 

“Tae!”

As soon as the door opened, Taehyung was jumped; a set of arms thrown around his neck and squeezing him into the tightest embrace. He gasped as he stumbled backwards and loudly dropped his trunk on the ground, his arms hesitantly hanging in mid-air for a moment, but then finding their way around the other’s body.

“Jiminie…” Taehyung softly said as the smaller boy had his face buried in his neck; the familiar scent of Jimin’s sweet flowery shampoo melting away all the anxiety he had felt just moments before. As his mother and him had Apparated on the Park family’s doorstep, and Taehyung had taken a deep breath in preparation of dealing with seeing both Jimin and Jungkook again after being weeks apart.

Taehyung had been determined to stay strong, practicing his poker face to not let on how bothered he was by the fact they had gone to Italy without him – something he wouldn’t admit to anyone but himself. There was a part of him that did not want to spend the rest of the summer with his two friends, afraid that he wouldn’t be able to push back the anxiety and jealousy that had haunted him daily ever since parting with them.

However, Jimin’s mere presence had a strange effect on him, instantly breaking past the defences he had set up for himself, and soothing his worried heart. Taehyung pressed his friend closer to him, swallowing away an unexpected wave of tears as he felt Jimin’s heart beat fast against his chest.

“Hey!” Mrs. Park’s voice came from inside, and she appeared in the doorway. Taehyung and Jimin let go of each other; the Gryffindor averting his gaze casually to hide his watery eyes. Thankfully, Jimin turned away too as Taehyung’s mother hugged his, and another person appeared from behind them.

“Hey Tae!” Jungkook beamed. The youngest stepped outside and hugged Taehyung just as tightly as Jimin had a moment before, and the Gryffindor realised something.

He had missed Jungkook. He had missed both of his friends _so_ much. Had his jealousy been misplaced? It hadn’t been Jungkook’s fault, after all. 

The two released each other and seeing the young Slytherin smile at him warmed Taehyung’s heart; the jealousy he had felt all summer making place for a burdening guilt. 

“Let’s go inside!” Jimin cheerfully said as he heaved Taehyung’s trunk off the floor with effort, pulling it over the doorstep. “Oof, what the hell did you bring?!” He panted, and Taehyung hurried forward to help him. “No, no!” Jimin told him while dragging the luggage through the hallway. “I can do it, Tae. Seriously.”

Jungkook shrugged as Taehyung glanced at him with a frown. “Don’t take it personally. He’s been incredibly stubborn all summer long.”

With a groan, Jimin heaved the trunk up against the wall next to his bedroom door, smiling happily and squint-eyed at the other two. “New year, new Jimin!”

###### 

**_”Welcome to this season’s first Quarter Finals in the European Quidditch Cup! Today, England and Greece will battle for a spot in the Semi Finals – are we excited today, folks?! LET’S HEAR IT!”_ **

The roaring of thousands fanatic Quidditch supporters boomed through the stadium; screams and cheers sounding from all around, while colourful flags and banners were being waved through the air. Spectators from all around the world had gathered in England’s Quidditch stadium (hidden to the Muggle eye) to watch the match, making a clear statement about which country they supported by the colours and symbols they were wearing.

Amongst them, in the press skybox, Taehyung, Jimin and Jungkook were excitedly jumping up and down, cheering just as loudly as the rest of the stadium when the teams emerged onto the field. Mrs. Park and Mrs. Kim were less loud; clearly doing their best to stay professional as official members of the press, but the expression on their faces as the home team soared through the air right in front of them betrayed them (Mrs. Kim letting out a high-pitched scream when England’s Keeper did a perfect somersault through the air).

Of the three youngsters, Taehyung was the only one who had taken the time and effort to paint his face and take out his supporter’s scarf; something that Jimin and he both usually did during the season, but the latter had mumbled something about ‘growing up’. Taehyung had been taken aback, but was determined to not let it get to him, and go into the season as he always did; full of positive energy.

**_”Aaaaand they’re off! Lesling immediately takes the Quaffle – as expected from England’s top-ranked Chaser, but OH – she is intercepted by both Alanis _and_ Doukas, I doubt there is anyone who would be able to fend off an ambush like that—“_ **

“AAARGHH!” Taehyung yelled loudly as Greece scored their first ten points, stamping his foot and glancing to his side where Jimin said something to Jungkook on his other side, who laughed. The Gryffindor hesitated for a moment, wanting to discuss the goal with Jimin, but changed his mind as he felt a heavy pit drop into his stomach, and focused back on the match instead.

Greece scored another thirty points before England was able to finally make a comeback; the latter having changed tactics after a quick time-out and a somewhat aggressive pep-talk from their coach. It was forty minutes into the match when England finally managed to take the lead, and Taehyung screamed as loudly as he could in excitement, then turning to his left.

“JIMIN!” he yelled over the roaring cheers of the crowd. “DON’T YOU THINK CLARK HAS REALLY IMPROVED SINCE LAST SEASON? HE’S BRILLIANT!”

Jimin smiled at him and nodded. “Yeah!” 

Taehyung stared at him for a moment as he turned his back on him again to talk to Jungkook; the blonde feeling a sudden urge to yell at the both of them. He took a deep breath and glanced around the stadium, realising that without Jimin being just as excited, watching the match was significantly less enjoyable. 

**_”GREECE SCORES AGAIN! IT IS NOW A 130-130 TIE!!”_ **

“Drink, sir?”

A woman lightly tapped Taehyung on his shoulder, levitating a menu up in the air in front of her with her wand, and the Gryffindor nodded, reaching into his pocket to take out some money.

“Yes, can I have three Cherry syrups please?”

Taehyung took the three cans, handing the woman five Sickles and three Knuts and turning to his friends, who had both sat down. The blonde smiled as he handed Jimin the drink, reaching out a little further to give Jungkook a can as well, then taking place in his own seat. The young Slytherin held his can up in the air, mouthing “cheers” and smiling broadly. 

Jimin stared at the can in his hands for a moment, then leaned in closer to Taehyung. “Thanks, but I could’ve gotten my own, you know.”

Blinkingly, Taehyung stared at his friend for a moment, unsure how to reply. “Uhm…” he hesitated, “I know that. I’m sorry?”

“I’ll buy the next round,” Jimin told him, then turning back to the match.

“Yeah,” Taehyung softly replied while averting his eyes from the boy, “okay, Jiminie.”

###### 

**_Dear Hobi,_**

**_How have you been? Sorry for the late reply, I’ve been kind of distracted._**  
**_I’m at Jimin’s house now with Kook and it’s been kind of weird. I think it might be because they already spent half of summer together; they have a lot of inside jokes and stories about Italy, and I’ve been feeling kinda excluded… Maybe it’s just me, but Jimin seems a little different. Kook told me he’s been like that all summer, but I can’t help but feel strange. Sorry if this all sounds incredibly vague, hah. You probably have better things to do than to listen to me whine._**

**_Have you spoken to the others? We ran into Zed at the European Quidditch Cup, by the way! He introduced me to his mom, she seems nice._**

**_Honestly, I can’t wait to get back to Hogwarts and see you all again. Summer has been okay, but I just hope everything can get back to normal, you know?_**

**_Anyway, see to you soon._**

**_Tae._**

For the third time, Taehyung read the letter he had written and sighed. He had never really been this honest with anyone before. Would Hobi find it weird? Maybe he would tell him to just suck it up and get over it; it was kind of stupid to be this jealous over nothing, after all. 

_Nothing?_

It had always been Jimin and him; in good times, bad times, and worse times. Jimin had always been there for him. Through all the tears, hurt, laughter, struggles; it was always Jimin who would comfort him. It was always sweet and kind Jimin who would support and encourage him through anything, even the stupid things.

That Taehyung had started to develop feelings for him wasn’t _nothing_. It was a lot. It was everything. Jimin was his everything, but that was a secret he would carry with him for the rest of his life.

The Gryffindor took the letter and crumpled it up in his hands, throwing it in the bin beside the desk he was sitting at. He took a blank piece of paper and sloppily started jotting words down.

**_Yooo Hobi!_**

**_How have you been? Things here are really great. The Quarter Finals were amazing; can’t believe we won! Greece has an amazing team, but we absolutely crushed them! Did you watch it from home? We ran into Zed and his mother, by the way. He introduced me, and she seems nice._**

**_Things at Jimin’s are really fun, but I’m also looking forward to going back to Hogwarts. Did you buy all your things yet? Last year, man. You excited?_**

**_See ya soon,_**

**_Tae._**

###### 

The days passed slowly, and Taehyung tried to enjoy the sun as much as possible, knowing that as soon as they got back to Hogwarts the Autumn would come to chase most the warmth away. There were two weeks of summer break left, and although this time of year was usually his favourite, Taehyung could not help but long back to the castle; even following class now sounding a whole lot better than how he spent most of his time now.

He was sitting alone on a bench in the park a block away from Jimin’s house, staring at the field where Jimin and he used to practice flying every summer (Mr. Park enchanting the field so Muggles wouldn’t be able to see them). The grass looked familiar. The smell was familiar. But this summer was different. Everything was so different, and Taehyung wasn’t sure what or who was to blame. Was it the Room of Requirement? Jungkook? Himself, perhaps? Had Jimin finally outgrown his company? The thought alone crushed his heart and he quickly shook it off; it was probably something temporary. As soon as they would be back at school, things were bound to return to normal.

“Tae.”

The blonde turned his head to find Jungkook standing beside the bench, smiling down at him. 

“Oh, hey Kook.”

“Hey. Why are you sitting here alone? I thought you were going to ask some Gryffindor in the neighbourhood to play Quidditch with you?”

Jungkook took place next to Taehyung, his eyes somewhat questioning, but expression kind. The Gryffindor stared at his friend, knowing his lie had backfired.

“Uhm, s-she wasn’t home,” he lied again, completely unconvincingly.

The young Slytherin averted his eyes and leaned back against the wood, taking a deep breath. “Can we talk about something?”

Taehyung did not reply immediately; his mind immediately drawing all kinds of weird conclusions for him as he stared at his friend.

_Jimin was in love with Jungkook._

_Jimin hated him._

_He would never want to see him again._

_He would be asked to leave immediately._

“Okay,” the elder replied, to which Jungkook’s eyes found his while the youngest reached inside the pocket of his jeans and took something out. A crumpled piece of paper.

“I found this letter to Hobi you threw out.”

Taehyung swallowed thickly as his eyes flickered over the paper, and nervously started biting the inside of his cheek. “Oh,” he said while averting his gaze.

There was a moment of silence between the two, and Taehyung wasn’t sure what to say or where this conversation would be going. He hadn’t written anything weird to Hobi, after all. Had he?

“I wanted to apologise.”

A jolt of nervous surprise pulled at the blonde’s insides as he glanced sideways. “What?”

“I’m… I’m really sorry that you felt so excluded, I had no idea,” Jungkook admitted with an apologetic smile. “We weren’t doing it on purpose. I wish you had told us you felt that way.”

“Ah,” Taehyung shrugged while keeping a casual expression, “doesn’t matter.”

“It matters to me, Tae,” Jungkook replied in a stern tone of voice. “You’re my friend. You’re _our_ friend! Of course it matters. We missed you a lot.”

Taehyung snorted. “Doesn’t seem like Jimin missed me at all. Seems like he doesn’t even want me here.” The confession was out before he knew it, and he instantly regret it as Jungkook’s expression changed to almost pitiful.

“That’s not true,” he said, then sighed. “But you’re right. Jimin has been different, but it’s not personal at all. He was whining about you not being there for half of our trip. There was even one day I had to literally pull him out of bed because he was sulking.”

“R-Really?”

“Yes, really! It was ridiculous, haha. Jimin really values you, more than anyone else in the whole world, but…”

Taehyung swallowed. “But?”

“I think the Room changed him, maybe even more than any of us. Somewhere during our trip, it was as if something had suddenly pushed a switch inside of his head and he was determined to undertake _every_ possible activity in the city, and stop feeling so damn sorry for himself; no offence.”

“Why would that be offensive?” Taehyung chuckled, and Jungkook smiled at him.

“I suppose because he was feeling so sorry for himself over _you_. You’re his best friend, but maybe he just feels like he likes you a little too much for his own good, you know what I mean?”

“…Too much?”

“I mean so much to the point where he lets everything he does be influenced by even the mere thought of you. That doesn’t mean _you_ did anything wrong, but I think Jimin wants to be more of his own person.”

“But,” the Gryffindor slowly said, frowning deeply while thinking about Jungkook’s words, “he _is_ his own person. He’s a really great person.”

The Slytherin smiled. “You and I know that, but I think he needs to discover it for himself. He has to find out who he is, and he can only do that alone.”

Taehyung nodded. “I think I understand,” he said. “So what do I do, Kook? I don’t want to lose him.”

“You won’t, trust me,” Jungkook answered. “All he needs is time.”

“Time,” the blonde repeated. “Okay, Kook.” He smiled a little sadly at the boy beside him.

Jungkook shifted closer and circled an arm around him, affectionately pressing his head against Taehyung’s. “I’ve never had friends like you and Jimin before, so I don’t always know what the right thing to do is, but… you can always come talk to me about anything. Anything at all, even if it’s _really_ bad and you don’t know what to do anymore.”

The Gryffindor closed his eyes while pressing his nose against Jungkook’s cheek, not able to speak as he was suddenly overwhelmed; the jealousy that had built up inside of him over the course of summer now breaking open and letting the core of his true feelings pour out. 

With a sniff, the tears started coming. The Slytherin pressed himself closer up against Taehyung and squeezing him softly as the boy quietly started sobbing. And in this moment, he hoped with everything he had that all his fear and sadness would fade away again soon.

But that was something only time could tell.


	4. A Summer of Questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter of the Summer of Youth. This is where the new story begins; you ready for some angst?
> 
> Yaaaaay, misery~

****

###  **Chapter 4 - A Summer of Questions**

****

“Seokjin, she’ll be here in five minutes!”

It was chaos in the kitchen. There were pots and pans scattered over the counter, and a collection of spatulas, stirring spoons, and cooking knives dirtied and discarded into the sink. In the rust of things, the walls had been splattered with a colourful mixture of sauces, there were lost pieces of chopped onions and other vegetables on the floor, and Seokjin was pretty sure he had lost an entire cabbage somewhere along the way (don’t ask him how).

The youngster peeked inside of the blazing oven, which was working at baking several of his dishes. The thing did its best, sure, but it just wasn’t the same as with magic. At this rate they would have to wait at least another hour to eat. He turned his head in the direction of the hallway to make sure there was no one there before slipping his wand out of his pocket, but with he should have known better. 

“Please don’t,” her voice came from behind Seokjin as he pulled the over open and poked his wand inside. 

With a soft groan he pulled it back and closed the machine, the smell of sweet potato and salted meat pleasantly blowing into his face. He turned around and stood face to face with his mother; a woman of slim build and a head shorter than him. There was a likeliness between the two of them, sure, but there was no denying Seokjin took more after this father. 

Cross-armed, his mother stood in the doorway of the kitchen, her expression stern. She was like a bloodhound with a nose for magic, eager to hunt him down whenever she could. “You know I don’t like it,” she shook her head at him, which Seokjin responded to with a sigh while shoving his wand back into the back pocket of his jeans.

“I thought you weren’t looking,” he wiped droplets of sweat off his temples with the back of his hand. “It would help me finish dinner a lot faster.”

The woman glanced around the kitchen and the ravage in it, raising her eyebrows. “Then you should’ve just started earlier. I told you that as long as you live under my roof there’ll be no magic. When your father—”

“ _Don’t_ ,” Seokjin did not give her the chance to finish, for he already knew the words. He knew the story and he knew the rule. “I know, okay?”

“Then act like you do,” was the last thing she said before disappearing into the hallway, leaving Seokjin behind in the midst of the cooking battlefield.

He had worked through half of the dirty dishes when the doorbell rang. His heart leaped with nervous excitement and he tapped the sink shut, untying the knot of the apron he was wearing from behind his back and hanging it on one of the hooks on the wall before heading for the entrance.

“Terri, it’s so nice to see you again,” his mother greeted their visitor in her most amiable voice; one that Seokjin hardly ever had the pleasure of hearing anymore when it was just the two of them. “Please, come in.”

A dark-skinned woman stepped inside, her long black hair tightly braided backwards and tied into a ponytail. She was wearing a red maxi-skirt under a white loosely fitted shirt (Muggle clothes than Seokjin knew she had picked out especially for his mother). Seokjin smiled as her dark brown eyes met his own; his heart instantly warming at the sight of her. It wasn’t as common anymore for them to see each other under circumstances this casual, but it still felt as familiar as it always had; safe. 

“Jin,” she smiled and pulled him towards her into a tight embrace. Had it not been summer, this moment would have been incredibly strange, but thankfully it _was_ summer. This was home, and in a way, it had been hers too for the past twenty-eight years. She was the last bit of magic preserved by his mother, and truly magical she was. “It’s so good to be able to hug you again.”

Seokjin nodded as she released him, pushing away tears he did not want either of the women to see. “I’m happy you’re here.”

###### 

Terri put her fork down on her plate, being the last one to finish eating. She rubbed over her belly while blowing the air out of her lungs loudly, staring at Seokjin with big eyes. “Merlin’s beard, that was the best meal I’ve had in years! You have some amazing cooking skills.”

Completely out of character, Seokjin felt himself blush at the compliment, and he smiled down at his plate. “Thank you.”

“Another great meal from my amazing son,” his mother said in her most exaggerated praising voice, and he felt the smile melt off his face. “Will you clear the table, please?”

Terri jumped up from her seat at the question. “I’ll help. Things are much more of hassle without the flick of your wand, huh?”

Seokjin had to supress a snort at the remark, knowing very well how Terri had meant for it to come across. He stacked all their plates and paced off to the kitchen, where he put them next to the dirty dishes he had not managed to wash in time before Terri’s arrival. 

“Are you okay?”

She came up next to him and put the dishes she was carrying down. Seokjin did not immediately answer, nor did he find the strength to look into her eyes when he did. “Of course I am.”

“Jin,” she circled an arm around him and pulled him towards her. Despite the fact Seokjin was now taller than her, he still felt small next to her – like a lost child, which, perhaps, he was in a way. “I know living with your mother can be difficult. As a Muggle to go through what she went through it’s only normal she dislikes magic these days.”

Seokjin kept staring at the dishes in front of him, focusing on not letting his emotions get to him. There was so much he wanted to say to Terri – so much he wanted her to know. So much he did not have the courage for to share with her.

 _It’s gotten worse,_ he wanted to tell her. _I don’t know what to do anymore. Can’t I live with you?_

He left the words unspoken. 

However, there was something that had clawed its way from the back of his mind to the core of him; haunting him day and night. Ever since he had left that godforsaken place, things hadn’t been the same. It was something he had to chase, and he knew the time was right.

“Now that you’ve graduated you can try to find your own place; I know of some vacant houses in my neighbourhood. You know, your mom means well, but I know she can be—“

“Terri,” Seokjin interrupted her, and she fell silent. “Can we…” he paused and swallowed nervously, feeling his heart race. “Can we talk about dad?”

The question hung heavily in the air for a moment, and Terri laid her hand on Seokjin’s shoulder, keeping him at arm’s length as her eyes found his. Her expression was serious; almost grave. For anyone who did not know her, it was easy to think she was all work and no play; dislikeable, even. Het sharp features gave the impression Terri meant nothing more than business, which had more than often been good for her career, but did not do her kindness much justice. It was a kindness she did not show to many, but Seokjin knew it well.

“Are you sure?” 

Seokjin turned to face her. When it came to confrontation or conflict, he was someone to avoid as much as possible; to push thing away. It was easier for him to deal with things this way. _Out of sight, out of mind_ , he’d always tell himself, but things always came back around one way or another, didn’t they? 

“Yes.”

Terri took a deep breath and slowly nodded, lowering her arm and taking a seat on a little stool near the wall. “It was four years ago last month.”

“I know.”

She looked up at him, and Seokjin noticed something in her eyes had changed. It had to be hard for her too. Just as hard as it was for him. He never knew how she had dealt with the situation herself – perhaps it was selfish of him to bring it up after all this time. Perhaps she was still hurting as much as he was. Maybe even more.

“Not a day goes by that I don’t miss him, sweetheart. It’s very important to me that you know that your father meant the world to me. He wasn’t only my partner for twenty-four years, but my best friend too.”

“Of course I know that,” Seokjin assured her as he leaned back against the counter. 

For a minute, he lost Terri to her thoughts. He did not speak as he watched her stare into the room, knowing that it weren’t the dirty dishes she was taking in, but years of memories. 

“I often blame myself for quitting as an Auror, telling myself that maybe I could have looked for him,” she folded her fingers together as she spoke. “But with how the Ministry handled that case drove me insane. I couldn’t stay anymore.” She paused and sighed, shaking her head at the thought. “I can’t tell you about the case, because even ex-Aurors are sworn to secrecy, but…” From inside a pocket in her skirt she slipped out her wand, casting a quick glance at the door before swishing it and conjuring a hologram in the air in front of them.

It was a photograph of a small group of people, and Seokjin instantly recognised his father standing on the right, Terri beside him. Both were wearing formal, Ministry-assigned Auror-robes. Long, black ones with shimmery golden badges pinned on the chest with the letter A; ones he knew well. Ones that Terri had not worn in four years now. 

Seeing his father made him feel strange. There were no photos to find of him in this house anymore, at least not out in the open. His mother hadn’t thrown them away; he knew she hadn’t had the heart to do that, but they were stowed away in boxes, shoved into a dark corner in the attack. It had been here own way of dealing with the grief of losing her husband, and Seokjin couldn’t blame her for that. But he still did.

“This was our team back then, about two months before it all happened,” Terri explained. “We were all assigned to that same case.” She pointed at a middle-aged man on the left. “That’s Thomassen,” then to a younger pale woman on his right with short blonde hair, “Livraile,” she named all members of their old team in order, “Falkmer, Dale, Rivers,” ending at a young, black-haired woman standing beside his father, who seemed to be the only one not wearing the same robes as the others, “and trainee Amano.”

Seokjin observed everyone closely, squinting his eyes at the photo. “Hmm, I think I recognise Dale and Livraile, is that possible?”

Terri nodded, and with the wave of her wand the photo disappeared. “Very well possible. You might have met them at the Ministry when you were much younger; Livraile— Eva and your father were both Ravenclaw in the same year, and Dale was a Hufflepuff a year below them. They had known each other before work.” While tucking her wand back into her skirt, Seokjin noticed her bite down on her lip. When she glanced back up at him she looked conflicted. “The Ministry, they…” She paused, and Seokjin suspected it was hard for her to share information, despite the fact she was no longer an Auror. 

“The day we were all sent out into the field on the case; the day your father… disappeared—“

Seokjin felt his heart skip a beat at her choice of words. It was something small, but it meant more to him than she would ever know.

“—he wasn’t the only one that was declared dead.”

“Wait, what?”

“That day Falkmer, Livraile, _and_ your father disappeared. The Ministry sent out official letters to all the families, declaring they had died honourably out in the field, but—“

“Their bodies,” Seokjin took a step towards her, not able to contain himself, “were they found?”

Terri did not answer immediately, evidently conflicted. “No, but Jin—“ she immediately got up and firmly grabbed him by his shoulders. “ _Don’t._ ”

Seokjin started shaking, his heart violently pounding against his ribcage. “H-He could be alive,” he whispered. “He could be out there.”

“Listen to me,” Terri’s fingertips pushed into his skin, “there is nothing we can do. The Ministry has too much power over everything. They wouldn’t let me go out to look for them, that’s why I left.”

“There is an empty casket buried in a grave with my father’s name on it. We buried him while there was no body to bury. If there’s a chance he’s still alive… There’s someone out there who must know more—” 

“Don’t go there! You have to understand the case we were on was incredibly dangerous,” Seokjin was released, and Terri buried her face in her hands with a groan. “I shouldn’t have told you this. I didn’t want to give you false hope. It’s better to put your father to rest, sweetheart, even if we never had the chance to really do so.” When she looked at him again, her eyes had turned watery, and Seokjin knew their conversation had ended. 

“Please, let him rest.”

The rest of the evening had been uneventful. Terri and his mother had shared a couple of wines and reminisced about some kind of trip – Seokjin had not paid much attention to their conversation after what Terri had told him.

When a few hours later she stepped outside into the summer evening, she turned back to Seokjin and his mother, who stood in the doorway to see her off. 

“You know,” she started with a faint smile, “I always thought you’d take after your father and become an Auror too.”

“Hmph,” his mother answered in his stead, “I wouldn’t have let him.”

Terri snorted. “I know, I know. Teaching is a much more peaceful job, so you must be quite happy. Is there a specific reason you want to be a professor?” 

It was a question Seokjin could not answer truthfully, because the reason for his choice of career, ironically, was solely based on the person who was asking it. The youngster smiled and waved his hand. “You know me. I just _love_ children.”

The woman laughed loudly. “Yeah _right_.” She stepped forward and pressed a gentle kiss on his cheek. “I think you’ll like it. In any case it’s definitely calmer than being an Auror. Please come to me if you have any question, and oh— no more Professor Wilgens, will you? Just Terri when we’re at Hogwarts from now on.” She took out her wand and glanced around to check for Muggles, gifting Seokjin and his mother one last smile. 

“See you next week.”

And with a loud popping sound, she was gone.

###### 

The end of summer break had arrived. Even though Seokjin would not be returning to Hogwarts as a student, it still felt the same in a way. He had packed his trunk, only half-way through realising he had stuffed his Slytherin robes in. A little sadly he had taken them out and hung them back in his wardrobe, running his fingers over the snake patch.

When he stepped into the fresh air it was slightly chilly out, the early summer mornings now getting a little rougher as Autumn closed in. The weather marked the beginning of a new schoolyear for Seokjin, but he would not be traveling to the caste with the Hogwarts Express. Out of his robes (casual ones) he took his wand and checked if his trunk was properly closed one last time.

“I suppose I’ll be seeing you for Christmas then?” his mother’s eyes flickered over him as she stood in the doorway, resting unhappily on his wand. “I wish you would’ve gotten a normal job.”

“This _is_ a normal job,” Seokjin checked the street, thankfully finding it completely empty. “Normal for me.”

“You know what I mean. A _Muggle_ job; a safe job.”

“Don’t worry, Hogwarts is the safest place on earth.” His mother mustered a faint smile, which wasn’t entirely meant, but he politely returned it regardless. “I’ll write you soon.”

“Okay, Seokjin. Just… be careful.”

Seokjin grabbed the handle of his trunk, closing his eyes and concentrating, and with a heavy pull behind his navel he was off. 

Within a matter of seconds, he felt solid ground under his feet again. When he opened his eyes again he found himself staring at Hogwarts in the distance. Normally, seeing the castle again after summer only sparked positive feelings inside of him, but it was different this time. There was an anxiety that had nestled inside of him ever since his conversation with Terri, which he had not been able to shake. Seeing Hogwarts only made that worse. 

In the hope of distracting himself, he glanced around and spotted a young man in front of one of the shops, who seemed to have just arrived in Hogsmeade himself.

“Jin!”

The man dropped his trunk and flung his arms around Seokjin, who stumbled and dropped his own. “Whoa— hey Joonie.”

Namjoon’s face read pure excitement as he let go. He looked at his best friend, then at the castle. “I’m pumped!” he smiled dimply. “It’s so great to be back, don’t you think?”

Seokjin put on the biggest fake smile he could – a skill he had honed over the past four years. So far, no one had been able to see past his facade, not even Namjoon. No one knew of the grief that boiled at his insides every night before falling asleep, of his crippling fear of being left behind. 

No one needed to know of the weight on his shoulders, and no one knew what he was here to do. This was his battle, and he would fight it alone.

Another year at Hogwarts.

“It sure is.”

###### 

***

_**Room of Requirement** _

_It was just Seokjin and Jungkook now. They were the only ones left running through the dark corridors of the Room of Requirement; the only ones left uncaptured by its dark, mysterious magic. The light that came from their wands was weak, and it rendered the oldest Slytherin anxious. He didn’t like the dark, no— that was an understatement. He _hated_ it. Darkness was something that frightened him. It was the feeling of the unknown engulfing him that scared him; the fear of being all alone, not able to see clearly. To be swallowed up and forgotten._

_The two Slytherin had waited for Yoongi to return with Jimin in the room where they had found the two missing girls, but they had decided the waiting had lasted long enough after nearly having a heart-attack when the girls had suddenly gotten up to eat in their trance._

_“Shit,” Jungkook cursed as they reached another fork in the road; one hallway leading left and the other leading right. “This won’t do. If we split up too it’ll be bad news.”_

_Seokjin sighed. “I don’t really see another choice, I’m afraid.” And the truth was that he didn’t. He did not want to part from the younger. Truth be told the Slytherin knew that his best chance of survival was to stay close to Jungkook, but he also knew they had a better chance of finding the others if they would split up._

_Jungkook seemed to be lost in thought when Seokjin suddenly heard a voice. A familiar voice. The elder Slytherin turned his head to the hallway left, where, in the distance, he could make out the outline of a person._

_“Jin.”_

_It was a man. A man that Seokjin knew. The Slytherin approached him; his brain suddenly on auto-pilot and guiding his feet. The light of his wand did not reach far enough for Seokjin to make out the man’s features before he turned on his heel and was swallowed up by the darkness._

_“Wait!” Seokjin called out, and stared running after the man._

_After a few minutes, he reached the end of the corridor, a large wooden door, burnt like the others they had encountered, half-opened at the end of it, waiting for him. With a creak, Seokjin pulled it further open and looked inside, wand ready for who he was about to face._

_However, the man he found inside, smiling familiarly at him, formed no threat. Seokjin instantly lowered his wand as he stepped inside, feeling his hands tremble._

_“It can’t be you…” he whispered, the smell of smoke all around him. “You’re dead.”_

_There was a chuckle from the mad; a somewhat sad one. “I guess they did declare me dead, didn’t they?”_

_Seokjin stepped closer, observing the other. Everything he believed to be true, everything he had told himself – shattered._

_“Dad, you… but you’re dead. You’re dead. The Ministry—”_

_“I am here, aren’t I? Haven’t you always questioned my death, deep down? Haven’t you always known I was still alive? I think you did, and Terri did too.”_

_”T-Terri?”_

_”Jin…”_

_There was a strange force clouding Seokjin’s brain, and with that his ability to think straight. This was his father standing in front of him, alive and well. He was seeing it with his own eyes, how could it not be real?_

_”You can stay with me. We can stay here together.”_

_Seokjin fell down to his knees, warm tears streaming over his cheeks. He buried his face in his hands and sobbed. “Y-You’re alive… You’re h-here… dad. I’ve— god I’ve m-missed you so much.” A hand gently pressed down on the top of his head, and he glanced up, finding his father stare down at him. There was something different about him that he couldn’t place, but there was no doubt about it: this man was his father. Alive._

_“Stay, son.”_

_Seokjin sniffed, the room around him blurring and spinning. Whispering one last word before feeling himself slip away, completely surrendered to his father’s touch._

_“Okay.”_

***


	5. Homecoming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys,
> 
> Sorry for being a little late. I will still try to upload weekly, but I'm currently in the process of graduating so life is a bit hectic right now. I struggled with this chapter a lot. And I mean _a lot_. Hope you'll enjoy it regardless - it all has to build up, so bear with me.
> 
> Part II: What Was Lost (There's a World Outside These Walls) begins here~
> 
> <3

## II: What Was Lost (There's a World Outside These Walls)

****

###  **Chapter 5 - Homecoming**

****

“GRYFFINDOR!”

Applause echoed through the Great Hall as a young boy named Keanu Astore hurried off the stage to the Gryffindor table, where he was welcomed by his new house with loud roars and cheers; from all but one.

“Barsotti, Beth!”

Taehyung paid no attention to the girl that stepped up on the stage, but stared past his fellow students at the Hufflepuff table. Jimin was sitting with his back turned to him, but he didn’t need to see his face to know that he, too, wasn’t paying much attention to the sorting. Not with Hoseok next to him, playfully poking and tickling him at every chance he got.

“RAVENCLAW!”

There was more applause Taehyung did not participate in. In his world there was no reason for cheer or celebration.

“Cesare, Richard!”

The Great Hall felt every bit as comfortable as ever; the floating candles casting their warm light on the room below, and the enchanted ceiling revealing a beautiful summer night sky. Hogwarts had been as pleasantly welcoming as ever, yet the Gryffindor couldn’t help but feel out of place. It had been like coming home… to a stranger’s house.

“HUFFLEPUFF!”

Perhaps it had it been the journey here. Taehyung couldn’t help but wonder to himself whether he was just being pathetic. His friends had, after all, done nothing wrong. The group (apart from Namjoon and Seokjin) had been reunited on the Hogwarts Express, and had sat together laughing and talking about how they had all spent their summers. Hoseok and him had even taken a stroll past the compartments, talking about the European Quidditch cup. He hadn’t been excluded at all.

Still… 

“Gravle, Shane!”

He glanced to the Slytherin table and spotted Jungkook and Yoongi; the youngest watching the ceremony attentively with a smile, while the elder next to him seemed to be half-asleep on the table; his face hidden away in his sleeves.

“GRYFFINDOR!”

Taehyung let his eyes wander to the teachers’ table up on the stage, where he found Namjoon and Seokjin clapping enthusiastically and exchanging whispers with each other. They looked happy. Everyone did.

The fact remained that _they_ all had each other; Jimin and Hoseok, Yoongi and Jungkook, Seokjin and Namjoon. But not him. He was alone.

“Kim, Eon Jin!”

Upon hearing the name, he snapped out of his self-pity and straightened himself in his seat as he watched his sister go up on the stage. She seemed extremely nervous; trembling as she took place on the stool and the Sorting Hat was placed on top of her head. 

He had completely forgotten about her, completely absorbed by his own misery; he hadn’t even tried to find her on the train. She must’ve felt so alone— _really_ alone. 

“RAVENCLAW!”

There was loud applause for her as she ran off to the Ravenclaw table, and Taehyung clapped with the rest of the students this time; grinning proudly from ear to ear.

_No surprise there._

“Livraile, Aubrey!”

Eon Jin’s eyes finally met his after she had found a seat, and he stuck his thumbs up at her. She beamed at him, returning the gesture. Thankfully it did not seem like she was upset with him. He’d make sure to make it up to her later, and tell her that she wasn’t alone. They’d still always have each other. Taehyung’s eyes wandered past the many students, feeling his heart jump as he found another brown pair staring at him.

“RAVENCLAW!”

Jimin waved happily at him, and Taehyung was glad to find Hoseok looking the other way. It was a moment between just the two of them, despite the many people around them. Actually, he couldn’t even remember when the last time was they had spent time alone; something Taehyung now realised perhaps he had taken for granted too much.

“Pacare, Fiona!”

Ever since making it out of the Room of Requirement, there had always been someone else there with them. Of course Taehyung was grateful for the fact that they now had five other best friends, but he couldn’t help but feel like things would never be the same again. It hadn’t been for him either, after all. The Room had changed all of them, one way or another.

“SLYTHERIN!”

Taehyung waved back and Jimin turned around again, ending the moment between them. The Gryffindor table was full of familiar faces; ones he knew well. They were people he liked and enjoyed spending time with, but no one compared to Jimin.

“Reiser, Ahmed!”

No matter how many friends he had and no matter how many friends he would still make, nothing mattered if he didn’t have Jimin beside him.

“HUFFLEPUFF!”

What Jimin saw in the Room of Requirement couldn’t come true, of course he was aware of that. But as Taehyung observed his housemates at the Gryffindor table, he couldn’t help but wish it could. 

_Red and gold would’ve suited him so well._

After the Sorting ceremony ended, Taehyung waited for any signal from the Hufflepuff table that he was wanted there, but his two friends seemed to be too caught up in a conversation with each other to even cast as much as a glance at him. With a sigh, he focused on his dinner instead; collecting a pile of food on his plate in the hope he could stuff himself so badly he’d instantly fall asleep when his head would touch his pillow. 

“Uhm…” someone said, “hi Taehyung.”

Taehyung turned his head and found two Gryffindor girls, somewhat younger than himself, standing behind him. He was still in the midst of chewing down a big bite, so he just smiled in acknowledgement of them.

One of them fidgeted her robes and shyly stared at her feet when she spoke. “We were wondering if… if you plan to be Captain of Gryffindor this year now that Dahlia’s gone.”

“Captain…? Oh, uhh…” 

Summer had been so hectic that he hadn’t even thought about the possibility. Before, it had been something he had dreamed of; had even considered his biggest dream, but that had made place for something else. That had been _before_.

“We really think you should!” the other girl squeaked, a tremor in her voice. “You’re the best player of the whole school. We even made a banner for you this summer— look.” She reached inside her robes and pulled out what seemed to be a large piece of cloth. With the help of her friend she unfolded it, and they held it up in front of him.

_**TAEHYUNG’S ROAR IS ONE WE ADORE** _

Under the text, which was red with golden glitters, stood a painted lion upright, with a familiar face.

He squinted his eyes at it to get a better look. “Is that… me?”

The girls giggled. “Yes!”

“Oh… thank you.”

“We were actually hoping we could enchant the lion to roar just like you, so maybe you could just—“

“What the fuck,” someone interrupted the conversation and the girls flinched, stepping aside to make way for a black-haired Slytherin, who did not look happy. “What the hell are you doing? We’re waiting for you.”

“Yoongi!” Taehyung exclaimed, then finding himself confused. “What do you mean?”

Yoongi groaned and grabbed him by his sleeve, pulling him up from his seat and dragging him away from the Gryffindor table (the girls sadly waving at him). Over the sound of the dining students, Taehyung could only barely hear his friend’s mumbling. “…made me walk all the way to the fucking… ugh… told Jungkook to stay and _eat_. That boy hasn’t grown an inch since the last time I saw him. Did he eat properly this summer?”

They arrived at the Slytherin table and Yoongi took a seat, leaving Taehyung to be stared at by five pairs of eyes. Everyone was there. Even Namjoon and Seokjin had left the teacher’s table and had joined the group for dinner. It was odd seeing them out of their House robes, but it felt familiar nonetheless to see their group complete.

“What took you?” Jungkook mumbled with a mouthful, pointing his fork up at him. “Sit down and eat.”

“Oh I… I didn’t know we were sitting together.” Taehyung’s eyes wandered past everyone, finally resting on Jimin.

The Hufflepuff grinned and shook his head confusedly. “We discussed it on the train, Tae, you need to stop zoning out. Come on, I saved you a seat.” He gestured to the empty spot between him and Namjoon. 

Taehyung took his place at the table and was presented with a full plate of food by Hoseok. “Eat up, eat up!”

“This is nice,” Seokjin nodded while looking around at the others. “The other table was awfully boring.”

Yoongi snorted and raised his eyebrows sarcastically. “What do you mean? You fit right in, _Professor_.”

“Hey!” Namjoon jumped to his defence. “Want detention, Mister Min?”

Hoseok laughed. “You have no power over us! Besides, Yoongi and I will be out of here by the end of this year. Far out of the grip of the devilish snake and raven!”

“It’s an _eagle_ for fucks sake.”

Taehyung was laughing along with his friends and felt his sorrow melt away. This was home. _They_ were his home. He felt Jimin poke him softly in his side.

“Let’s eat,” the Hufflepuff nodded at their plates, and Taehyung noticed Jimin hadn’t taken a single bite yet himself.

“You waited for me?”

“Wh— of course I did, Tae! Don’t be silly. We’re not complete without you. I’ll always wait for you.”

Taehyung smiled as he watched Jimin dig into his food and felt a warmth bubble up in his chest. 

They were home. Together.

###### 

The Transfiguration classroom was slowly filling up. It was the first day of classes, so Namjoon expected some of the first-years to be late due to not knowing their way around the castle yet. His own first day at Hogwarts had been an absolute disaster. It was terrible to even think back about how he got himself stuck in a hidden passage behind a tapestry on the fourth floor, and had missed his first half day (which had landed him in detention too). Shamefully as it was, he had cried himself to sleep that day. Thankfully he hadn’t known Seokjin back then.

Zalhammer was sitting at the back of the classroom, scribbling something in a notebook in preparation of the class. He would be observing today as Namjoon would giving his first ever class. Alone. The thought of it was harrowing, but the knowledge that these students had even less of an idea what he would be doing calmed him. A little.

Namjoon sat at his desk (Zalhammer’s desk) and skimmed through his notes one more time. He had the knowledge, of course he did. This was all basic stuff, but having to pass it on to other people was something entirely different. All summer he had been worried about the information he would be passing on, but had never actually considered _how_ he would go about that.

When he glanced up, he found a classroom full of young Ravenclaws and Gryffindors staring wide-eyed at him in anticipation, all completely silent. 

“Oh,” he got up from the desk and scraped his throat, “w-welcome to your first Transfiguration class of this year. I’m Nam—“ he stopped himself, awkwardly glancing around the classroom. From in the back, Zalhammer gave him a little nod of encouragement, and he pressed on. “I’m Professor Kim. This year I will be supporting Professor Zalhammer’s classes, since I’m still an apprentice, but please come to me with any questions you might have regarding the material.”

_Just tell them what you’ll be doing this year._

“In this class, you will learn to transfigure objects into different objects— next year even living things. Not _humans_ , of course, but small animals. Transfiguration can be quite dangerous when done wrong, so please pay close attention to what I have to s— whoa!“

_**CLANG** _

Namjoon backed into the desk, shoving it back and causing everything on it to drop on the floor, including Zalhammer’s golden telescope. 

“Shit, fu— oh excuse my language! I’m so sorry.”

Roaring laughter erupted from within the classroom as Namjoon frantically collected all fallen items from the floor and placed them back on the desk; thankfully undamaged. His entire face was flushed in a dark shade of pink when he turned back around, and he awkwardly leaned back against the desk.

_Embarrassing._

“S-So,” he stammered, and noticed Zalhammer sigh deeply.

“Be quiet!” a girl in the front row told her classmates, and the laugher instantly died out. “Don’t laugh at the Professor, it’s disrespectful.”

_Saved by a little first-year. Even more embarrassing._

“Thank you, Miss…”

“Kim, Professor. My name is Eon Jin.”

_Ah. Taehyung’s sister._

“Thank you, Miss Kim. Let’s move on, shall we?”

Going over the basics of Transfiguration was fairly easy, Namjoon discovered. For _him_. At the end of their session, only five out of the thirty-two students had managed to transfigure their matchboxes into lighters, and the apprentice found himself somewhat frustrated over the fact that most of the children just did not seem to listen. It couldn’t be _that_ hard, could it? 

His own first year at Hogwarts had been easy. Everything had been so logical and clear; he’d had no problems with any of the classes, so why was it these kids were struggling so much? Was it them? Was it him?

“Professor Kim?”

Namjoon glanced up from his desk and found five young girls staring at him. The rest of the students had already left, and he had hoped with all of his might there wouldn’t be anyone staying behind to ask him extra questions. But here they were. He sat up straight in his chair and scraped his throat, wanting to handle the situation as professionally as possible. “What can I help you with?” 

The girl standing on the left he recognised as Eon Jin, who was smiling shyly. “Professor, you were a Ravenclaw, right? Just like us?”

“Oh,” Namjoon shifted in his seat, grateful for the fact the question hadn’t been about the material, but also unsure to what extent sharing personal information would still be acceptable. “Yes,” he finally answered. “I am— or well… was, I suppose.”

All the girls started giggling and exchanged excited glances with each other, and the former Ravenclaw wasn’t sure what more to say as they stood by his desk, doe-eyed and seemingly waiting for him to share more.

“Uhm,” Eon Jin hesitated when he stayed quiet, “my brother Taehyung says you’re _really_ smart.”

“Whaaaat?!” the other girls turned to her in shock. “Your brother knows the Professor?” another girl squeaked.

Eon Jin nodded eagerly. “They’re friends!”

“Isn’t your brother the Seeker of the Gryffindor Quidditch team? My sister won’t shut up about him!”

“Your brother is still at Hogwarts and he’s friends with the Professor?!”

“Professor Kim, can you tell us more about your student time?”

“Professor, how old are you?”

“You seem so young!”

“Do you think you’ll ever be Head of Ravenclaw, Professor?”

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

“Was Transfiguration your favourite subject? It’s definitely mine now that you’re teaching it!”

Namjoon sat frozen in his chair, overwhelmed by the sudden storm of questions and attention. He opened his mouth to say something, entirely unsure _what_ , but found he wasn’t given an opportunity to speak as the girls rambled and giggled on.

“ _Ladies,_ ” Zalhammer’s voice boomed from across the room. “Please proceed to your next class.”

As the girls hurried out of the classroom, still giggling and whispering excitedly with each other, Zalhammer approached the desk and laid his notebook down. Namjoon swallowed nervously as the man picked up his telescope and scanned it for damage, the younger thankful when he put it back down and offered him a somewhat apologetic smile.

“I will be straight up with you, Mister Ki— ah, Namjoon. Can I call you Namjoon?”

The youngster nodded, feeling his heart pound in his throat as Zalhammer took a deep breath and glanced around the room.

“That wasn’t as good as it could have been, but it was decent enough for a first class. There’s still a lot of room for improvement.”

The man was right. Who would’ve thought that for someone that found learning so easy, teaching would’ve been a problem? He hadn’t really given it any thought before; he’d assumed that the two would be much like each other. If you had the knowledge, how hard could it be to pass it on? Then again, dealing with people hadn’t always been one of his strongest points— he’d never considered it a skill necessary enough to hone.

Zalhammer seemed to notice his disappointment, because he leaned in over the desk and pat him on the shoulder. “Don’t you worry; we’ll get you there. After all, you’re still young— much younger than I was when I started teaching. You’ll be just fine in time.”

Namjoon smiled; more out of politeness than anything else. 

_Young._

_Right._

###### 

“Good morning and welcome to your first Potions class of this year. My name is Professor Kim and— a question already?”

A Ravenclaw girl had her hand up in the air and folded her hands into each other as Seokjin nodded to permit her to speak. “Not to be rude, Professor, but our Transfiguration Professor’s name is also Kim. It might be confusing if there are two Professor Kims.”

Seokjin softly snorted, knowing she was referring to Namjoon, and slowly stepped through the room, his hands behind his back. “Well,” he smirked, “you can just consider me Professor Kim _one_.”

“But sir,” a Gryffindor boy’s hand immediately shot up in the air, “aren’t you Professor Kim _two_ , then?”

The former Slytherin’s head snapped in his direction and the boy flinched, quickly pulling his arm back down. Seokjin laughed dramatically. “No, no. I’m really not. _Now_ ,” he raised his finger up at the class and stood still, “are you ready to emerge yourselves into the wonderful world of life and death, sickness and health, and even... forbidden love? Yes, yes, Potions is truly an amazing subject—”

_God, he hated Potions._

“—and any master of it will hold immense,” he let his eyes flicker across the many faces as he paused, “beautiful, but frightening power. Oh yes, frightening beyond your imagination—“

_And boring._

“—Power you should be wary of, for if fallen into the wrong hands,” he smirked as a few of his students seemed to be holding their breath in wide-eyed anticipation, “it could very well doom us all.”

Seokjin let a moment of silence pass, noticing how Professor Eifda had her face buried in her hands in the back of the class, shaking her head to herself. He smiled and turned around to the cauldron on the table behind him, feeling all eyes burn in his back.

“Now, please turn to page three of your textbook. Let’s begin, shall we?”

Making it an art out of turning his class to be as dramatic as possible, Seokjin managed to make the long, excruciating hours of Potions a little more bearable. Teaching the first-years the basics of the subject turned out to be easy; everyone listened to what he had to say, everyone followed his instructions, and nearly everyone succeeded to get the hang of prepping and cutting ingredients.

_How disappointing._

The dungeon classroom was dark and sapped all of his energy away; it was nothing like the Slytherin common room. How he _longed_ for the common room right now, but unfortunately he wouldn’t be spending his free time there anymore.

“Professor,” a blond girl called him from across the room with her arm raised. “I’ve finished my task.”

Seokjin made his way over to her and raised his eyebrows upon observing her table. All the ingredients she had cut up were sorted neatly and laid out in front of her, lined up perfectly with each other.

“This looks good,” he nodded, then frowned as something caught his eye. “Did you… break your Toadstools instead of cutting them? I had only learned the benefits of doing that in my sixth year. Consider me impressed, Miss…”

The girl reddened under his praised and put her cutting knife down on the table. “Aubrey Livraile, Professor.”

“Miss Liv—“ Seokjin’s heart skipped a beat. He thought he’d recognised the name during the Sorting Ceremony, but he’d partially ignored it, thinking that it had just been a coincidence. A _big_ coincidence. Yet, as he looked at the girl who he stood next to right now, the possibility of a connection did not seem unlikely at all; blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, glistening pale skin.

“Excuse me for asking, but…” Seokjin observed her subtly. “Do you happen to be related to Eva Livraile?”

It seemed as if all the muscles in Aubrey’s face turned to stone upon the question, and Seokjin regretted his decision. Of course; even if she was related, Eva Livraile was declared dead just like his own father— it could be a sensitive subject, especially to someone Aubrey’s age.

_Idiot._

“Do you know her?” Aubrey’s whisper was almost inaudible, as if held back by her shock.

Seokjin’s eyes widened.

_So there was a connection._

He leaned in a little closer, pretending to observe the ingredients laid out on the table more attentively. “I did not know her personally, but my father did. They worked at the Ministry together.”

The suspension between the two of them was almost palpable now, rippling the air with every heavy breath he heard Aubrey take.

“We were close,” the Ravenclaw girl whispered back. “But she’s gone now.”

It was her choice of words that particularly caught Seokjin’s attention, and he turned to her with a frown. “Gone?”

Before Aubrey could answer, Eifda’s voice interrupted their conversation from across the room. “Ladies and gentlemen, we have come to the end of our class together. Professor Kim and I will be seeing you again on Thursday afternoon, so please wrap up your ingredients and place them in the designated cabinets with your name on the package.”

Seokjin could not get himself to rip his gaze away from the girl in front of him. He had so many questions. _Gone?_ Surely if she believed Eva to be dead, her choice of the word was a little odd. What did it mean?

Aubrey offered him a quick smile before shoving all her ingredients into a small pouch and hurrying off to the cabinets with her classmates. Seokjin stared after her as she heaved her bag over her shoulder and left the classroom without casting as much as a glance back at him.

“Mister Kim, that was an excellent first class!” Eifda’s voice shook him out of his thought. “I dare say I have never seen anyone with a natural talent for teaching like yourself. You’ll make it big here at Hogwarts, I’m telling you.”

_Make it big at Hogwarts?_

Seokjin knew now, without a doubt, Hogwarts was where he was supposed to be this year. It was all connected. There were answers here somewhere, and he would find them. Running into Aubrey Livraile was no coincidence. 

_It was his fate._

_Teaching? Not so much._

###### 

“Grrraaahh!” Seokjin stretched as he walked into the room, finding Namjoon with his eyes closed in the leather sofa chair near the window, letting the summer breeze air out their muggy shared office. 

The former Slytherin sat down on the windowsill and glanced around. It wasn’t much of an office for two people, but then again he wasn’t sure how common it was for the school to take on two apprentices at once. There were two desk crammed against each other near the back of the room, barely leaving any space for them to walk around. Not that there was any reason for them to walk around, since the only two other things in the room were the sofa chair, and an old dusty cabinet hung up on the wall next to the door.

“When was the last time this school actually had any apprentices?” he snorted. “We can make it a bit nicer, though, don’t you think? Actually, I think I can even make it bigger with an Extension Charm, should I try?” Namjoon did not respond to his question, and Seokjin kicked him against his leg. “Oi!”

“Please let me drift off into my death peacefully,” he slouched further back into the seat. “Goodbye.”

“Your first day didn’t go well then, _Professor?_ ”

Seokjin turned around to find Hoseok smirking in the doorway, behind him Zed, Yoongi, and Jungkook. The four squirmed themselves into the office, which was really all the place was able to fit. 

“Was this a broom closet before or something?” Yoongi grunted as he stood flattened against the far wall, and Jungkook chuckled.

“Bet Yoongi could make it larger for you with a spell.”

“Actually, I’ve got it, Kook— wait,” Seokjin took his wand out of his robe pocket and pointed it at the far wall. “I’m actually not entirely sure whether this works with us in it, but… Capacious extremis!”

The youngest cheered in amazement as the wall started pushing back, making the room significantly more spacious. Seokjin pulled his wand back when it had nearly doubled in size, and grinned at Namjoon who had sat straight up and gaped into the room, then at his friend.

“That just figures,” he groaned and let himself fall back into the chair with a sigh. “You really are more brilliant than me at everything, aren’t you?”

“Was your first day that bad?” Zed approached the former Ravenclaw and sat down on the armrest. “Bet that’s normal. Everyone has to learn, right?”

“Yeah!” Jungkook chimed in and gave him an encouraging pat on his legs. “I bet you’ll be really good at teaching before you know it. It’s your dream, right?”

Namjoon nodded sadly. “It is, I just never expected it to be this hard. The students didn’t really seem to take me seriously enough, and they kept asking me how old I was—“

Yoongi snort broke through the conversation and all eyes turned to the Slytherin, who raised his hands up in the air as he supressed a grin. “I’m so sorry.”

“You’re all tact, aren’t you?” Hoseok raised his eyebrows at the Slytherin, then turned himself to Namjoon. “It’ll be fine, Joonie. You’re super smart and fun, so the kids will see that too. Bet it was hard for Seokjin too, right?”

All eyes turned to the eldest, who hadn’t been prepared for the sudden confrontation. “Ehhmm,” he dragged out, “it wasn’t too bad. I mean it wasn’t _great_ or anything, but…” he looked at Namjoon, who seemed to be getting more discouraged with every word that came out of his mouth. “It just wasn’t great. To be honest, I kind of hated it.”

“Hated it?” Zed frowned. “On your first day already? Are you sure that being a Professor is what you should be doing then?”

“Well I… I suppose I’m not sure.”

Hoseok approached him and stared him in the eyes, his expression completely different than it had been a mere minute before. He looked stern as if concerned, or perhaps even angry. “You’re not sure? How can you not be sure?” he shook his head. “You were lucky enough to find out about your deepest desire in the Room of Requirement, and you still say you’re not sure?”

Seokjin understood now as he glanced around at his friends. He had not told a single one of them about what he had actually seen, so it was only normal for them to assume it had to do with his sudden (and awfully out of character) choice of career. They weren’t entirely wrong, but his desire had very little to do with teaching. But he couldn’t tell them that. Not yet.

“You’re right,” Seokjin nodded at the Hufflepuff after a minute of silence. “In one way or another this is what I desire. Being at Hogwarts is the best thing for me right now.”

Hoseok’s expression remained unchanged. “Then act like it.”


	6. Autumn Winds of Change

****

###  **Chapter 6 - Autumn Winds of Change**

****

It was getting colder. The changing of fresh green fading to warmer shades marked the coming of the next season, which meant robes were now often paired with woollen scarves, and for some even gloves. There were still warmer days, but those became scarcer with every passing week.

For the first time that year, as Halloween neared, Jimin decided to pay a visit to the Quidditch Pitch. Classes had ended early for him, and he had found himself inspired by guilt to visit, mostly. Today wasn’t one of those warmer days, and he found himself struggling to keep himself steady on his feet as he stepped outside. He had thankfully wrapped himself warmly enough to protect him from the heavy gusts of wind that pushed and pulled at him, and he wondered to himself if there would be anyone who could possible fly in this weather.

His question was answered when he arrived at the Pitch and noticed someone in the air, seemingly having very little trouble keeping their broomstick under control as it rode the waves up high; elegantly, almost as if one with nature. Jimin held his hand up to shield his eyes from the sun as he squinted them in the hope to get a better look.

_A boy. Agile, skilled, blond, dressed far too coldly for this weather, and—_

The flyer only just managed to himself from falling as he did a summersault through one of the hoops and the end of his broomstick slammed against the metal.

_—unnecessarily reckless. Surely there could only be one._

Jimin took a deep breath to shout out, but someone beat him to it.

“Taaaehyungieee! Oooh are you okay?!”

He glanced sideways to the spectator’s tribune and found a small group of younger students sitting there, their faces all reading deep concern as Taehyung descended onto the grass.

“I’m okay!” the Gryffindor smiled as he playfully swung his broom up. “Bad coordination, my mistake.” The boy’s smile momentarily faltered as he came in closer and spotted Jimin standing on the side. “Oh, hey.”

The Hufflepuff made an awkward entry into the scene as all unfamiliar eyes turned to him. Deciding it was probably best to pretend they weren’t there at all, Jimin avoided eye contact with any of them, but focused solely on his friend. “Hey. Your fan club?”

Taehyung laughed and ran a hand through his sweat-drenched hair. “Apparently,” he nodded. “A bunch of third-years have been pushing me to apply for team Captain. We’ve been training without one.”

“Well are you going to?”

“I might.”

“You should.”

There was faint smile, but Jimin recognised it for a half-hearted one. From off the tribune there were whisper amongst the students, whose eyes were burning curiously on them as they stood out on the field. Jimin was almost certain they could hear everything they were saying, but still tried to ignore their presence regardless.

Taehyung wiped his hand over his temples with the same half-smile around his lips. “Do you really think so? I mean, we haven’t practiced together since the year started. Hell, I’ve hardly even seen you anymore in our free time.”

Jimin felt guilt pulling at him; guilt because he knew Taehyung was right, but there was more to it than he knew. “I’ve been hanging around in the common room a lot more, I suppose—”

“With Hoseok.”

The use of their friend’s full name threw Jimin off, and he frowned. “With Hobi, yes, and some other people. Zed too. You’re welcome to join us at any time, you know? It’s not like anything ever stopped you from coming into our common room before.”

Taehyung snorted. “Wow, what a lovely invitation. You know,” he broke eye contact and stared at the grass below him as he dug his feet into the dirt, “I wish we could still hang out together. Just the two of us like we used to, or practice together at least. I know your first match isn’t until February, but it doesn’t hurt to start early,”

Jimin dreaded what was about to follow, but he knew he couldn’t avoid the subject any longer, like he had been doing since the start of the year. “About that,” he reluctantly started. “I’ve been wanting to tell you… I quit the team.”

When Taehyung’s head snapped back up his expression had turned to stone, not even a hint of a faked smile left to see. “Why?” he frowned. “Wait, since when?”

“In the first week of school. I’ve just outgrown Quidditch.”

There was no response from Taehyung. Voices that sounded a lot like disapproval came from off the tribune, and the whistling of the wind through the Pitch were like a crazed audience, booing at them. Yet, Jimin felt like he had somehow never experienced a more excruciating silence as the Gryffindor stared at him in utter disbelief.

“Outgrown Quidditch? Since when? When were you even planning to tell me, Jimin?”

“I just never really found a good moment to tell you. There was always someone else there or—”

“That’s exactly my point! There’s _always_ someone with us when we see each other. I mean I love them, I really do, but ever since the Room it feels like you and I aren’t even friends anymore.” Taehyung raised his voice, which Jimin knew to be out of frustration rather than anger, and he couldn’t really blame him for it. 

“I’m sorry you feel that way,” Jimin kept himself calm in the hope it would prevent things from escalating. “I know things have changed a lot since last year, but I’m coming to terms with who I am. Playing Quidditch is not a part of who I am anymore. It was always more your thing than mine, and I think I kept playing for so long because of _you_. I’ve always put you on a pedestal.”

“I don’t understand,” Taehyung snapped, and dropped his broom on the grass. “Is that a bad thing?”

Jimin stared at him for a moment, overwhelmed by a sudden sense of irritation. “What do you mean? Of course it is!” he failed to keep it from taking over. “I can’t just spend my life running after you, doing everything you do.”

The voices to the side of them were getting louder, but Jimin couldn’t care less they overheard every word he said. He had to stick up for himself and who he wanted to be, even if it was against his best friend. 

Taehyung’s expression softened, making place for something entirely different that made Jimin regret his tone of voice almost immediately. “I never knew you saw it that way,” he softly replied, the anger of before nowhere to be found. “So you don’t want to be friends anymore then?”

“What?!” Jimin took a step closer and grabbed him by the shoulders. “Of course I do, you big idiot! This’ll be good for the both of us. We can grow.”

As well-meant as his intentions were, and no matter how he hoped that Taehyung would see the way things he did, Jimin’s words seemed to have the wrong effect on the Gryffindor. He did not need to say a word for the Hufflepuff to see they were on completely different levels right now, and there would be nothing he could to do change that. 

Taehyung pulled himself away, and there were dramatic gasps from off the tribune, which vexed Jimin in an irrational way he had never experienced before. 

“ENJOY THE FUCKING SHOW?!” he yelled at Taehyung’s fan club. He turned on his heel and paced away, thankful that his sobs were lost under the howling of the wind.

###### 

“Ready?”

“I don’t think I can do it, Yoongi.”

“Yes you fucking can. Hold your wand like _this_ — no, yes like that.”

“This is different from what you said before, you know.”

“Was it? Wait.”

Jungkook watched Yoongi turn to Namjoon’s desk on their right to check his notebook, tracing his finger past the – to Jungkook – unreadable scribbles and blotchy sketches. The younger stared at his own wand for a moment as he held it up sideways. Never before had he encountered any sort of spell or enchantment that required such a complicated movement, but Yoongi seemed to know what he was doing. Sort of.

“Okay,” the elder Slytherin turned back to him. “So you point your tip sideways at mine—”

Jungkook snorted as he turned his wand to the other side, facing Yoongi’s.

“— _Really_ , Kook? Okay, let’s try again. One two—”

The two Slytherin moved their wands in sync, like they had been practicing for the past hour, and let the words flow rhythmically, their voices like one.

“Duplici praesidio!” – “Duplici praesidio!”

As their wands came to a halt pointing forward, there was a flash of yellow. Jungkook gasped in excitement as he watched a shape take form before them – a sort of bright, transparent plasma that took the shape of a giant shield, completely covering their front from wall to wall. He looked at Yoongi beside him, who was gaping at the result in wide-eyed shock.

“Holy shit,” he whispered while scanning the shield. “There are still some tears in the surface, but _holy shit_! Wait— move your wand away.”

Jungkook obeyed and slightly shifted his wand to the side, then slowly down to the floor. The shield stayed in place, even when they had completely disconnected their wands from the spell. The younger started laughing, joyous as he approached it and traced a single finger over it. It seemed to be solid, as if impenetrable – like they had been hoping it would be.

“Double protection!” Yoongi exclaimed happily while he let his hand slide of the yellow surface, and Jungkook stared at him in full admiration. “I can’t believe no one thought of this before! Now all we have to do is test how long it can hold up against which spells, but it should be a hell of a lot more effective than Protego. I’m not sure whether it’ll bounce anything back to the enemy, though. Maybe I should try to tweak it or…” he lowered his arm, and Jungkook noticed his brow furrowing.

“Yoongi?” 

Jungkook stared helplessly at the elder as he sank into the sofa chair next to the window, exhaling deeply. The youngest unsure what to make of this sudden change. Surely this was a success for Yoongi; a reason to celebrate. Wasn’t it?

“What’s wrong?” the younger asked while taking a seat on the windowsill, carefully eyeing his friend whose good mood seemed to have completely disappeared.

“I’m fine,” Yoongi grunted as he cast a grumpy glance out the window, where there wasn’t much to see besides one of the castle walls and a few patches of grass and dirt. 

“You’re obviously not,” Jungkook raised his eyebrows. “Talk to me.”

“Nothing to talk about.”

“Come on.”

“What do you want from me?”

“I want you to tell me what’s wrong.”

“You’re annoying,” Yoongi scowled. “Fine! It’s just…” he paused. “… _stupid_ , okay? Fucking hell.”

Jungkook patiently waited for Yoongi to come to terms with sharing whatever was on his mind. He could see it was difficult for him; something he probably hardly ever did. Perhaps even never. Come to think of it, the two of them had never really had a serious conversation before. Not that Jungkook hadn’t wanted to— he did. He wanted to tell Yoongi everything on his mind, always, but with the elder being who he was, the younger was afraid to push his luck.

Yoongi finally sighed and looked at him, noticeably reluctant to speak. “Namjoon’s parents offered me a job at the Ministry.”

It certainly wasn’t what Jungkook had been expecting to hear, and he laughed, having to hold himself back from swinging his arms around Yoongi’s out of joy. “What?! That’s amazing!” he jumped down and stood in front of his friend. “Is that what you’re getting all grumpy over?”

“You don’t understand, Kook.” When Yoongi looked up at him, Jungkook noticed clear concern. “There are a lot of spell-inventors out there, and even though you guys think I’m good, I might be the least skilled of them all out there. Out in the _real_ world, I mean. I have no idea what it’s like in the wizarding world, and in less than a year I’ll have to prove myself. What if I can’t? What then?”

The confession left Jungkook lost for words. Yoongi, who he looked up to most – Yoongi, the most talented, brilliant wizard he knew, was scared to get out there? It seemed almost unreal as the elder buried his face in his hands with a groan. There was a lot that Jungkook wanted to tell him, but he knew that any words of encouragement he would have to offer would not be enough to lighten the burden. He opened his mouth to say something – _anything_ to break the silence, but it was Yoongi who spoke before he could.

“I’m starting to think my parents are right.”

“Your parents?” Jungkook asked, confused about the link between the two. “They’re Muggles, right? They can’t know enough about the wizarding community to judge, can they?”

Yoongi chuckled sadly. “That’s the point. They’ve always been worried I was in way over my head, stepping into this world without any magical background or knowledge. They couldn’t help me even if they wanted to. I’m just thinking maybe I… just don’t belong here.”

“What?!”

Jungkook couldn’t hide the frustration that flamed up inside of him, and Yoongi noticed it too. The Slytherin looked up with bloodshot eyes, blinking at the younger who towered over him as he stood before him.

“How could you even say that?!” Jungkook shook his head in stubborn disbelief. “Look at how much you’ve achieved even without any magical background! Think of all the things you’ll do out there! If you really think you don’t belong here, then that is a direct insult towards all of us – towards… me! You’re… you’re a fucking idiot!”

A moment of awkward silence passed between them, and Jungkook was afraid he might have overstepped his bounds as Yoongi’s expression turned blank, and the elder got up. The two stood facing each other; Jungkook’s eyes up as Yoongi was still about half a head taller than him, his anger short-lived and having been shoved away by sweaty palms and a racing heart.

Jungkook flinched as Yoongi suddenly grabbed him and pulled him closer, pressing their bodies together. The youngest stood petrified as the other Slytherin’s arms found their way around him, and he felt a hand in the nape of his neck as Yoongi’s head rested against his. There was a whisper in his ear.

“Brat.” 

Jungkook chuckled softly, melting under the elder’s touch and wrapping his arms around his middle. He closed his eyes, wanting to cherish the moment— he knew it was rare.

The sound of knocking broke the embrace, Yoongi almost shoving Jungkook away in panic as someone slowly opened the door and peeked inside.

“Oh h-hello,” a pale, blue-eyed Ravenclaw girl stammered as she spotted Jungkook and Yoongi, then frowning confusedly as she observed the yellow barrier before her. “Ehm… I’m… I’m looking for Professor Kim.”

“Uhh,” Jungkook exchanged a quick glance with Yoongi, whose face had flushed entirely. “Which one?”

“Number one!”

“What?”

“Potions Professor Kim.”

Yoongi snorted at the answer, regaining himself from embarrassment. “Typical. He’s not in right now.”

“I’ll come back later.” The girl’s eyes flickered over the shield, the two Slytherin, and then Yoongi’s notebook on Namjoon’s desk. “What are you doing?”

The elder Slytherin immediately turned around and picked his leather-bound book up, shoving it inside his robes. “None of your business. We’ll tell Seokj— your Professor you stopped by. What’s your name?”

She seemed hesitant to answer the question, taking Yoongi in from top to bottom, scanning over him like she was looking for something; like there would be something to find. Jungkook thought he spotted a change in the way she looked at him when her eyes came to rest on his face.

“Aubrey Livraile.”

The door shut behind her, and the two Slytherin were left alone once more. Jungkook wanted to ask Yoongi if he had noticed anything strange about her too, but the elder seemed to have lost all interest in the girl.

“So what code-word should we use for the spell?” he casually asked, as if she had never even stepped into the room, and as if she had not nearly caught them caught up in an intimate embrace in the middle of the office of two professors. “We need _one_ word to use in battle that the both of use recognise as the signal to cast the spell, otherwise we won’t manage to synchronise.”

“In… battle?”

“You know what I mean.”

“I really don’t. Yoongi…” Jungkook heard himself whine. “There won’t _be_ any battles. The Room of Requirement is gone. Besides, you’re leaving at the end of the year and you’ll forget all about me when you make new grown-up friends.” 

The confession was out, and Jungkook wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Being needy wouldn’t get him anywhere with Yoongi, who seemed completely immune to any sense of empathy most of the time. The younger swallowed nervously as the taller boy came up closer, knowing that this time his words would not result in a hug. Yet, as Yoongi’s eyes met his, Jungkook read nothing familiar in them.

“Kook, I won’t forget about you. We’ll see each other in the summers, and I’ll come to your graduation and all,” he said with the shadow of a smile, and Jungkook chuckled, relieved. However, friendly Yoongi’s visit did not last long. The elder rolled his eyes. “Besides, I couldn’t even forget you if I wanted to. Your constant _whining_ and Yoongi- _this_ , Yoongi- _that_. You might as well just sleep in my fucking bed and wear my clothes— now pick a code-word!”

This Yoongi was not half as intimidating anymore as he had been before. Not now the other side of the elder Slytherin had shown itself so clearly, and to _him_ alone. Something had changed, and Jungkook felt like it was here to stay. The younger smiled as Yoongi stood before him with his arms crossed, squinting his eyes at him; the darkness in which Jungkook had often found himself petrified now a lot less deep and frightening. 

“Fine,” the younger imitated him by crossing his arms. He looked at the shield, the combination of gleaming happy yellow and what was left of the patches of green outside in the corner of his eyes reminding him of warmer days – better days in the eyes of some, but Jungkook did not mind the change. Still, his inspiration came from the reminder of Summer, and the promise of Spring to come again, no matter how harsh their Winters would be.

“Dahlia.”

“Dah— the flower?”

“Yes.”

“Fine.”

Practicing the new spell filled up the rest of the time they had together. Trying to perfect the shield was still harder than they had anticipated, but they were in no rush. It was when the torch on the wall flamed up that they noticed how much time had passed, and the sound of the door opening called an end to their spell-session.

It was Namjoon who stepped inside, his hair wild (almost as if he’d been desperately tugging at it) and face gleaming with sweat. He stopped in his tracks and stared at the two in his office. “Oh, right.”

“Great to see you too,” Jungkook snorted, which earned him the most sarcastic smile from the former Ravenclaw.

“Don’t. Just had the worst day,” he groaned while sinking into the sofa chair. 

There was no opportunity to advance the conversation as the door swung open again, and Seokjin entered the room, followed by Taehyung and Hoseok. “…should’ve seen the look on their faces! Eifda wasn’t very happy, but she lets me do my own thing— oh, you’re all here,” Seokjin smiled as he noticed them. 

“Great!” Taehyung exclaimed. “Are we ready to go then?”

“Come oooon,” Hoseok beckoned them to the door. “I’m hungry.”

Jungkook nodded happily, suddenly aware of how empty his stomach was. He headed for the door with Yoongi and Namjoon close behind him. When they stepped out into the hallway, there was an “oh” from behind him.

“There was a girl who dropped by for you, Seokjin,” Yoongi said as the former Slytherin locked the office door behind them. “Aubrey something.”

“Livraile?!”

“Think so, yeah.”

For some reason, Jungkook noticed, Seokjin seemed unsettled about the confirmation. The apprentice nodded slowly as he slipped his wand back into his pocket. “Did she say for what?”

“Nope,” Yoongi shrugged, and Seokjin stayed quiet.

While they made their way through the corridor towards the Great Hall, Jungkook observed the eldest, noticing a change in his behaviour – one that was clearly noticeable, but no one else seemed to pay attention to as they got caught up in a discussion about desserts. 

It was only when they reached the Great Hall that Jungkook realised something else, having been completely distracted by Seokjin. “Where’s Jimin?” he frowned, suddenly feeling ashamed he hadn’t noticed the absence of their friend before. Clearly, he had not been the only one who had forgotten, because Yoongi, Namjoon, and Seokjin confusedly stared around and at each other, suddenly aware of the missing member of their group. 

It was Hoseok who answered, his expression somewhat pained. “Ah, uhm… he’s not having dinner with us today. He… well he came running into the common room crying his eyes out earlier this afternoon, and he hasn’t left his dorm since. Said he wanted to be left alone.”

Everyone stared at him in wordless shock, but Jungkook noticed the Gryffindor next to him, who shuffled awkwardly on his feet and bore his teeth into his bottom lip. Was he the only one to notice these things? How oblivious could the others be? 

As they all took a seat at the Hufflepuff table, happily chatting away as they filled their plates – both the girl and Jimin forgotten for the time being – Jungkook couldn’t help but feel something was different this year, and Taehyung wasn’t the only one with a secret.


	7. Whispers

****

###  **Chapter 7 - Whispers**

****

It was holiday evening of celebration. The feast seemed to be as exceptional as every Halloween, and the Great Hall ever as majestically decorated. In the spirit of the spookiest day of the year, there was a cloud of carved out, candle-lit pumpkins levitated up in the air, casting a mysterious orange glow on the students at the four tables below. Sticky cobwebs draped the walls, and, amongst other things, goblets would sometimes randomly transfigure into bats that would fly off and evaporate in mid-air.

This year, the feast committee had even set up a chocolate-spider hunt, which meant any disgusting crawling little arachnid you encountered _could_ be edible (with the risk you would accidentally set your teeth in a real one, of course). Unfortunately (but not surprisingly), the special event seemed less than popular, leaving girls and boys to shriek loudly from time to time as they found another one of those nasty buggers crawling over their tables, smashing them to chocolate-pulp with their fists and plates in panic. 

Despite the minor chaos here and there, the students and staff seemed cheerful and carefree enough, enjoying themselves by chatting the night away, eating to their heart’s content, and (the adults, of course) downing a drink or two. The Great Hall was bubbling with life and laughter, but counting one less Hufflepuff than usual. 

Hoseok wanted none of it. 

“Flipendo!”

All of the years he had spent at Hogwarts, he had spent happily. He couldn’t name a single time he had felt out of place or highly uncomfortable or even anxious. At least, not in the time _before_ the Room of Requirement. Lately, those were the only three defaults he had, mostly whispering spitefully to him when he spent time around his friends.

_You’re not like them._

It kept him awake at night, and he more than often found himself tugging his sheets out of frustration; turning and twisting through the night, and his exhaustion usually only served as fuel for his rapidly growing anger the day after.

_The Room didn’t want you, did it?_

“Flipendo!”

_Everyone wants something. Everyone has a purpose in life; a role to fulfil. But not you._

Why couldn’t he be happy the Room hadn’t taken him? _Why?_ Hoseok didn’t have a clear answer, besides the frustration of being left out. It was the frustration of _not knowing_ his deepest desire spreading inside of him like a poison, eating him away and rotting his soul. 

That’s why he found himself here, on a night he was supposed to be celebrating with his fellow students. He wasn’t like them, though. There was no reason for him to celebrate or joke around. The week leading up to Halloween had been hard enough without him having to painfully fake a smile, especially with Jimin wanting to be left alone most of the time these days.

“Flipendo!”

Everything was bad right now. It was his last year at Hogwarts for crying out loud, and everything was bad. There were N.E.W.T.s to start thinking about too, and the prospect of that was harrowing, because it meant having to think about the future. And then it all went full circle.

Hoseok groaned loudly at the thought, his wand trembling in his hand as he pointed it at the spell-practice dummy at the other side of the room. 

“BOMBARDA!”

_**BANG!** _

The dummy disappeared into a thick cloud of smoke, and Hoseok was pushed back by the impact of the explosion that erupted before him, only barely able to keep himself standing. Somewhere in the room there was the sound of glass shattering, and he instantly regretted his impulsive, anger-driven decision. 

When the smoke disappeared, he found the Duelling Club’s trophy cabinets blown to smithereens, bits and pieces of the prizes it had had on display scattered over the floor, the practice dummy’s limbs and cloth skin splattered everywhere. They would surely revoke his prefect status for this. _Fuck._ Although most of the castle would be gathered in the Great Hall right now, there was a very slim chance no one had heard his little outburst, but if he could fix some of the damage before—

“What the hell?!”

Hoseok’s heart skipped a beat as he’d only made it mid-way to the ravage he’d made, and with his wand still raised he cautiously turned around.

“Thank god,” he exhaled with relief as – out of all possible people – he found Zed staring wide-eyed to him and the damage from in the doorway. He ran a hand through his hair. “What are you doing here?”

Zed raised his eyebrows and blinkingly stepped further into the room, his eyes flickering over the shattered glass and the pieces of dummy. “Me? What the hell are _you_ doing? You’re not even a member of the Duelling Club!” 

“Nothing,” Hoseok mumbled, although, knowing Zed he knew he wouldn’t be able to get away with just that. “I mean… I was just letting off some steam, I guess.”

“That’s a whole lotta steam, man,” Zed snorted, then approached the rubble and slipped his wand out of his pocket, pointing it at what was left of the trophy cabinet. “Reparo.”

Hoseok stood back as shards of glass came flying in from left and right, gluing themselves back together. “You don’t have to,” he quickly said as Zed turned to a few shimmering silver remains of trophy on the floor. “You better get out of here before someone thinks you had anything to do with this.”

“Well in a way I did,” Zed shrugged, then casting the spell again. “I should’ve known something was wrong when you didn’t show at the feast. It was only when Yoongi mentioned you hadn’t been yourself all week I came looking for you.”

“Oh…” 

So the others had noticed, or at least Yoongi had. The Slytherin did not look it, but he was exceptionally perceptive – when he _wanted_ to be, mind you. With Yoongi most things were a matter of motivation, not skill. 

A moment of silence passed between them, and Hoseok diverted his focus to helping clean up the mess he had made instead of the conversation. Strangely enough, Zed was the only one he’d ever really told about what he was struggling with, but that had been _then_. Before they’d returned to Hogwarts, and before he’d started feeling this bad. Somehow, even talking to his oldest friend about what was bugging him did not seem like a feasible option anymore.

As, slowly but surely, the Duelling Club started to take back its original form, Hoseok’s mind wandered to something else. “Hey,” he slowly started, “you and Dawon.” There was a pause, and Zed arched an eyebrow his way while placing two trophies back in the repaired cabinet.

“Yeah?”

“So what’s the status on that?”

“Has she mentioned anything?”

“Not really.”

“Well… we’re seeing each other over Christmas break.”

“Oh.”

Zed eyed Hoseok cautiously. “Wait, is that what this is about?”

Hoseok chuckled while guiding pieces of brick back into the wall with the swish of his wand. “No, of course not!” he said, half lying before even realising it. 

Indirectly, it _did_. With everyone focusing so much on what they wanted, he couldn’t help but feel that maybe, deep down, just a little… he wanted to see someone fail. Perhaps then he wouldn’t feel as left out as he did right now, being the only one not able to chase something. Being the only failure.

 _Stop it,_ he caught himself going down that dark path, one that did not lead anywhere. There was a constant susurration from within that darkness, trying to convince him that letting the envy inside of him grow would help somehow; to take it out on his friends. He knew it wouldn’t.

“Guess it’s just N.E.W.T.s,” he finally lied, fully-aware of it this time. 

“N.E.W.T.s aren’t until the end of the year,” Zed told him while scanning the trophy cabinet. “Besides, you don’t _have_ to take th—“

“ _Gentlemen?!_ ”

Their heads snapped in the direction of the entrance, where they found Charms Professor Wilgens in the room with them. She frowned deeply at them, her gaze then gliding down to the pieces of practice dummy neither of the two boys had gotten to repairing yet.

_Shit._

“What on earth happened here?!” she near-shrieked. “And don’t even think about lying to me, because I could hear the explosion from in my damn office.”

Hoseok opened his mouth, fully prepared to tell her the truth, but Zed spoke before he had the chance. “It was my fault, Professor. I’d asked him to come practice with me since the room would be empty right now. It just got a little out of hand.”

“A little out of— were you trying to blow him to bloody pieces?!”

“No, ma’am, ‘course not! It was one of those damned chocolate-spiders crawling over the wall.”

Wilgens groaned and rubbed her temples with eyes pressed shut. “Although I feel like you’re not telling me the truth, I’d very much like to move on from this. Detention for a week, my office. Finish cleaning up and return to the Great Hall.”

“Terri?” 

To Hoseok’s great surprise, Seokjin stepped into the room from behind Wilgens, seeming to be every bit as confused to find his friends in there as they were to see him. He frowned at the two Hufflepuffs, then at what was left of the ravage behind them. 

“Is… everything okay here? I was on my way to your office and I thought I heard something,” the apprentice hesitantly asked, locking his eyes with Hoseok’s, likely in an attempt to get a feel for the situation. Hoseok, however, could only offer him a grimace.

Wilgens sighed. “Ah, Jin. No we were… just done here. Let’s go, and _boys_ ,” she wagged a finger at both students, “make sure you repair everything. I will be coming back to check later.” She groaned loudly again, turned on her heel and disappeared out of sight.

Seokjin stood staring at his friends for a moment. He opened his mouth to say something, but changed his mind. Instead he snorted as Zed shrugged casually, and followed Wilgens out without a word. 

“Week’s worth detention for blowing something up, huh?” Zed chuckled. “Not bad. It’s a shame Seokjin couldn’t use his professor-powers to get me out of it, though. Did Wilgens seem a little different to you?”

Hoseok stared at him in confusion and disbelief. “Why did you take the blame? I would’ve owned up, you know.”

“I know,” Zed smiled. “You save my ass, I save yours, right? I know you saving mine involved a much greater risk and all, but I’m trying to make a gesture here.”

_A gesture? Saving?_

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“The Room, man.”

_That fucking Room._

Hoseok chuckled darkly. “I didn’t really do much, did I?”

Zed gave him a little push. “You stayed with me, didn’t you? Come on, let’s get out of here.” 

After repairing the dummy and filling up a last few holes in the wall, the two went on their way, hoping they would still be able to grab some last-minute dessert. As the sound of the cheerful chaos of the Great Hall grew louder, Hoseok spotted a small group of students huddled together at the end of the corridor. 

“…show us tomorrow? Please!”

“There are no classes anyway!”

“I want to try out for our team next year too, I’m going to train hard!”

“Can we see the badge again?”

Hoseok, being a giant hypocrite as someone who had just been out himself, approached the group, waving his hand at them. “Get back to the Great Hall or return to your common rooms, please – oh.” The students stepped aside and Hoseok locked eyes with a Gryffindor standing in the middle of them, holding a golden shield-shaped badge between his fingers. “Tae!”

Taehyung grinned from ear to ear. “Hobi! Sorry we were kind of disturbing the other people at the table, that’s why we came out here.”

Slightly confused as to who ‘we’ was exactly, Hoseok, now joined by Zed, glanced around at the unfamiliar faces – younger students, mostly. “Oh, yeah… no problem,” he slowly said, deciding against asking questions for the time being. “What’s that?” he pointed at the badge.

“Captain!” Zed yelled full enthusiasm in Hoseok’s ear. “You made Captain?!”

The grin on his face intensifying, Taehyung nodded proudly. “Yup! Just got this shiny baby from Professor Wilgens after dinner.”

“He’s the best Captain ever!” a younger girl squeaked, to which most of the other students hummed and nodded in agreement. 

Taehyung laughed. “Haven’t really done anything as Captain just yet, but you bet I will be. After all, can’t let the fans down, can I?” The people around him giggled, eyes gleaming with admiration. 

Hoseok tried his best to fake a smile, wanting, with all of his heart (or at least most of it) to support his friend’s dream, but the muscles in his face didn’t seem to allow it. Luckily for him, Zed spoke for the both of them.

“Congrats, man. You’ll make it big, I tell you. You’re already half-way to being a pro-player, with your own fans and all. Tell you what,” he snapped his fingers, eyes suddenly widening with excitement, “yeah, I— yeah!” 

“I have no idea what’s going on,” Hoseok snorted as Zed seemed to be in the middle of a revelation only he understood.

The only thing the other Hufflepuff said, paired with a determined nod at Taehyung was, “leave it to me.”

As they returned to the Great Hall, Hoseok found the tables already cleared, his stomach empty, and mind trailing back to that dark path as he joined his friends at the Slytherin table, his gaze fixed on Taehyung’s Captain badge as it sparkled a little too happily in the orange light of the pumpkins hanging above.

-

_Dear Tai,_

_Thanks for your last letter, and sorry it took me so long to send you a reply back. I’ve been thinking about it, and I think I’d like to meet up with you to discuss the possibilities of working with you next year. Does the offer still stand? I don’t know if I’m cut out for a career in Medicine or Research, but I can guarantee you I will dedicate myself fully to anything you are able to get me into._

_Please let me know,_  
_Hobi._

###### 

“Why did you want to—”

“Shh! Not here, Jin.”

Terri and the former Slytherin paced through the corridor, which was completely deserted. Seokjin frowned lightly as he followed her trail, his mind still half in the Duelling Club, Hoseok’s pained expression etched into it. He knew brewing anger when he saw it; his mother had enough of it. Not that it was any of his business, and not that he wanted it to be with everything going on right now, but maybe – just maybe he’d address it later; ask him what was on his mind. Seokjin dreaded the thought alone. Times had been so much simpler when it had just been Namjoon and him. He smiled to himself. _Simpler_ , sure, but… 

_He’d ask Hoseok later – yes. That’s what friends do after all, isn’t it?_

After passing the Central Tower, Seokjin followed Terri into the Charms classroom, and up the stairs  
into her office. For some reason it was so dimly lit (the torch on the wall put out) that he could only barely make out the mess inside; scattered files and quills all over the floor, books pulled off of the shelves and stacked and open on her desk, and a half-empty bottle of brandy in her chair. This seemed very out of character for Terri, as was the way she stared at him when he turned around. She stood by the door, which she had closed behind them, her hands trembling. 

“What’s wrong?” he whispered, although he wasn’t quite sure why. “Why did you want to talk to me?”

There was no immediate response, just the sound of her heavy breathing breaking through the silence, and, Seokjin was fairly sure, the pounding of his heart. 

“Aubrey Livraile.”

“Aubrey— what about her?!”

_So he hadn’t been the only one to notice._

“Has she said anything to you about—”

“Eva?” he interrupted her, knowing they were both thinking the same thing. “She said they were close, but she’s gone now.”

Terri’s eyes flickered over him as she took a step closer. “I can’t be sure, but… I’m trying to find out— her sister, she had _one_ sister. Can’t figure out when it was I met her, but… it might’ve been _before_ …”

Seokjin could smell the heavy liquor on her breath and noticed clear traces of intoxication in her eyes. “Are you okay?”

She slowly shook her head and took a deep breath. Watching her, he could feel a sense of nervousness clenching inside his gut. Terri had always been strong. She was his hope and strength; the reason he had been able to pull through his father’s disappearance and never look back. Yet here she stood, falling to pieces right in front of him. 

“Jin,” she weakly said, “When you asked me about your father in the summer, it sparked something inside of me that I hadn’t felt in years— I was able to push it away, but…” she paused. “Aubrey Livraile. I can’t help but feel that somehow this isn’t a coincidence. I’m losing sleep over it, but I know I can’t chase it. I’ve been too close, they’ll _know_.” She stared deeply into this eyes for a moment, and Seokjin couldn’t help but worry about what exactly had sparked inside of her. “Do you still want to know what happened to your father?”

The question took him by surprise – more shock than surprise, really. Hadn’t Terri been the one to tell him not go there? To put his father to rest? 

“Yes,” he answered calmly, although calm was not one of the many things he felt right now.

Terri nodded, the shadow of a strange smile around her lips. “I can set up a meeting for you with our trainee— well, I suppose she’s just an Auror now. Amano, remember I mentioned her? I won’t be able to go with you, because they’ll know, but if you tell her you’d like to know more about her time with you father it could work. Try to ask about that day and the organisation—”

“Wait,” Seokjin frowned, “you’re telling me to try to pull information on a top classified case from an Auror? Weren’t you the one who told me this was all too dangerous?”

“I suppose I did, didn’t I? Merlin’s beard, I’m so sorry, Jin. I know I can’t possible ask this of you, it’s just my paranoia getting to me again, imagining things—“

“I’m in.”

She stared at him, her mouth agape. “What?”

“Paranoia or not,” Seokjin told her determinedly, “I trust your judgement. If we don’t chase this, it’ll haunt us for the rest of our lives. I need to know what happened to dad.”

Terri’s parted lips curved up into a watery-eyed smile, and she nodded. “I’ll set it up. It’s you and me together now,” she weakly replied. “But whatever you do, Jin, please promise me… don’t involve your friends.”

###### 

It wasn’t that late when he left Terri’s office, dinner had only just ended after all, but the corridors seemed abandoned as Seokjin made his way to his sleeping chambers. He let his brain lead on auto-pilot, as his mind was still filled with the conversation of moments before.

_Paranoia. Amano. What did she say?_

…

_Organisation?_

The echo of his footsteps, being the only sound heard, was lost under the sound of the twisting cogs of his brain, until—

Seokjin stopped and jerked his head around, finding nothing but empty corridor behind him. 

“Hello?”

It was quiet, yet he couldn’t help but feel he had heard another pair of footsteps trailing behind him. It wasn’t very unlikely; there were more than enough people at Hogwarts, after all – more than enough ghosts and other teachers to be roaming the corridors just like him. He turned back around, figuring it was just his nerves getting to him.

_Paranoia._

He should’ve asked her about that organisation before taking off, but his mind had been so full of everything it had slipped his mind. 

There it was again. 

_Parano—_

Seokjin stopped, but didn’t turn to look around this time. Not because he didn’t want to, but because he _couldn’t_. It was like every muscle in his body had petrified, and no matter how hard his brain yelled, there wasn’t a single part of his body that followed its commands. He heard it again; footsteps behind him.

_A hex?!_

He tried to open his mouth, strain his throat to produce some kind of sound – not that it would do much, but maybe someone would hear him. It was useless. Even breathing proved difficult as an immense force clenched like a fist in his chest, twisting his lungs out of shape. Even his fingers wouldn’t as much as twitch.

The footsteps grew louder.

_Paranoia._

Closer.

_This wasn’t paranoia._

There was something his lower back, clenching his robes, yet the only movement coming from him were the droplets of sweat trickling down his temples and neck.

From behind him came a whisper. Or it didn’t, he couldn’t really tell. There was someone behind him, touching him, holding onto him. 

_They know,_ he suddenly thought, the context of both words completely lost on him, but he thought it.

Out of nowhere, there was a flash of a memory, one he had buried deep in the back of his mind. His father’s home office before the Ministry had cleared it out. He hadn’t been allowed in, but that hadn’t stopped him. Countless classified files, secured tightly, all labelled under the same meaningless word. A word he hadn’t given a second thought in the years after. Meaningless. 

_Meaningless?_

Suddenly, he was released out of petrification and sank through his knees, panting heavily as his chest unclenched. 

“Professor Kim?!” 

With his entire body shaking as it did, he did not have the strength to look up, but he thought he recognised the girl’s voice. 

“E-Eon… Jin?” he managed to groan, and she knelt in front of him.

“Yes, Professor! What happened?!”

“Who… b-behind me…” he tried to turn his head, but his neck, still cramped up, wouldn’t allow it. If only Eon Jin had seen _something_ …

“Behind— there’s no one here, Professor!” her voice trembled anxiously. “Did someone do this to you? I’m going to get help!”

“No!” he exclaimed, locking his eyes with hers. “I’m… okay. Please… common room. Now.” He finally found the strength to get back on his feet, cautiously turning around only to find the corridor behind him as empty as it had seemed before.

“Eon Jin,” he sharply addressed the young Ravenclaw, who stared at him in wide-eyed panic. “Don’t tell anyone about this. Especially not your brother,” and although her reluctance and wish to object was more than obvious, she nodded. 

As she went on her way (Seokjin having had to reassure her at least three more times that he was really okay), he took his wand out and held it battle-ready – just in case – but the rest of his way back was peaceful. There were no more footsteps besides his own, no one touching him from behind. No whispers besides the voices in his head.

When he lay down on his mattress, his robes still on, his mind trailed back that memory. Why it had been triggered, he had no idea, or even whether it was relevant at all – maybe it was nothing. The fact, however, was that he had just been ambushed inside the walls of Hogwarts, which could have ended very differently had Eon Jin not found him when she did. 

_Why had she been there in the first place?_

…

 _They know,_ his mind whispered.

Perhaps that one meaningless word could hold the answer to everything.

_Concordia._


	8. Safely Within These Walls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit later than usual, sorry!  
> It's also a bit longer (prepare for some angst).
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated. As always, thank you for reading <3.

****

###  **Chapter 8 - Safely Within These Walls**

****

“Professor Kim!”

Namjoon felt his heart leap happily as there was a storm of cheerful greetings bearing his name as he walked into the room. _Today would be a good day_ , he had told himself this morning. Although the process of learning to teach (oh, how ironic that was) was still slow at times, at least the children loved him. No matter how bad a day was, they never failed to cheer him up with words of encouragement and willingness to show him the progress they had made so far.

“What are you doing here, Professor Kim?”

He stopped in his tracks. All eyes were not on him, but someone else who had stepped in through the other door in the back of the room: _Another_ Professor Kim.

Seokjin laughed loudly as the children grouped up around him, exchanging enthusiastic whispers and glances with each other as their Potions professor stood in the Transfiguration classroom. The former Slytherin noticed Namjoon on the other side of the room and waved at him. “Joonie, hello!”

The eruption of whispers grew louder from.

“Joonie?”

“Did he call him Joonie?”

“I heard they were best friends in school!”

“Oh no, that’s _so_ cute!”

Namjoon did not share their excitement to see the other apprentice, and he cursed internally. Having to hear about Seokjin’s success-stories in their office was already more than enough. He had little need to experience his popularity amongst the students first-hand. He walked up to his desk and put his bag down on the floor, then taking a seat and pulling a drawer open without any purpose besides pretending to have business there.

“Ah, Seokjin,” he replied somewhat distracted (faked), “what brings you here?”

That the children loved his best friend was clear, much like all their fellow students had also done during their own school-career. With the former Slytherin’s flair for dramatic performances, wit, and his quick tongue, it was difficult not to fall into admiration or even intimidation. Thankfully, they now had friends who could see through his theatrical layers, but Namjoon wished he would just drop them altogether; grow up. Just around _him_ , at least.

“Well,” Seokjin followed the word with a pause, “Professor Zalhammer requested that I come help you with your classes today.”

“Help?” Namjoon’s head jerked upward, instantly losing all interest in his drawer. “What do you mean?!”

Perhaps Seokjin’s smile was meant to be apologetic or friendly, but all Namjoon could see was _I told you so_. _I told you I’d be better at this than you would be. You need my help, admit it._

“Class assistance—“

“I understand what it means!”

Namjoon slammed the drawer shut, harder than he intended to, and a few students gasped softly. He stared at Seokjin, whose brow furrowed. “Sorry, I— yeah whatever. Let’s start, then,” he mumbled, then opened _A Beginner’s Guide to Transfiguration_ to the page he had marked for today’s class. There was a note stuck to the paper with his scribbling on it.

_Wand practices_  
_Basic spell repetition_  
_t = (w x c )/(v x a) X Z*_  
_Demonstration still objects_

With a sigh he got up and took his wand out, ignoring Seokjin as he came to stand next to him. “Good morning, please take your seats,” he told the first-years, who quietly followed the request, their whispers silenced by the tension between their two professors. Namjoon massaged his temples as he was overwhelmed by sudden exhaustion, although he had no lack of sleep. “Okay,” he grunted, then looked at his students, “please turn to chapter four. Professor Kim – the _other_ one – will be… assisting me in class today.” 

One short, steady movement of his wand swung the cupboard on his right open, and he levitated the candles out they had been practicing on, dividing them over the tables in pairs. They should have moved onto larger objects a week ago, but with over half of the class still struggling with candles, there was no way he could up the level right now. He shot a quick glance at Seokjin, who was watching the students flip through their books, arms crossed and the same smug know-it-all smile around his lips. In the moment, he had not a grain love for his best friend. Far from.

_Out of all people. Why Seokjin? Couldn’t Zalhammer have helped instead? Things weren’t that bad, were they?_

He held his wand out in front of him when the rustling of the pages stopped. “Alright,” he nodded, glancing around, “remember the movement I showed you last week? One, two – steady, strong,” he flicked his hand up and right, “firm and decisive. That’s the way to go. Please resume with practicing like last time – without the spell for now.”

For a moment, all students blinkingly stared at him. Some slowly took out their wands, brow furrowing as they imitated Namjoon’s wand movement. The former Ravenclaw could feel the same tense confusion amongst the children as his previous classes had brought, and he quickly added, “please remember that this is difficult. It’s okay if you don’t get it on your first few tries, please consult me for any help.”

The quiet wand-practicing went on for about ten minutes before they moved on to spell-work. There were a few students who were able to turn their candles into small bottles on their first try, but Namjoon was disappointed to find these were the ones who had already mastered the spell during their last session together. 

“Your wrist is too loose,” he told one of the Gryffindor boys, who stared at him in near-tears as Namjoon stared at him from above. “If you keep steady like this – see? No – yeah, like that.” 

The boy sighed. “Professor, I’ll never get it right. I’m the dumbest in class!”

“Mister Graham, this hardly has to do anything with intelligence. It’s a matter of common sense and practice,” Namjoon replied, then made his way back to the front of the class and took a seat behind his desk. 

_Don’t,_ Namjoon thought to himself as, from the side, Seokjin approached him, the look on his face saying more than enough for his annoyance to flare. 

“If I can give you some advice,” the former Slytherin softly said as he leaned in over the desk.

_No._

“Sure.”

Namjoon knew his friend would be able to pick up on his mood, but didn’t care much. He felt Seokjin stare at him for a moment, but he avoided making eye contact, pretending to look something up in his book as he waited for the well-intended but much unwelcome advice.

“Graham and Welson always sit together, and they sit right behind Rivers and Ambrams.”

The former Ravenclaw frowned at his book, but still did not look up. “Okay, so?”

Seokjin crossed his arms. “Well, Graham tends to copy his peers rather than look at the instructions given to him, but Welson just imitates whatever Rivers does, since he’s the most popular kid in class. _However_ ,” Seokjin paused and both apprentices glanced at the young Slytherin, who seemed to be leaning back in his chair and smirking at two girls on his right rather than focus on his candle, “he’s a bit of a slacker, meaning that makes it cool to not make much of an effort. So if you can get Rivers to do it right, the rest will surely follow. Put him on the spot.”

There was a soft snort from the former Ravenclaw. “Seriously Jin, you’re reading way too much into this.”

“I’m telling you, it’s all about pushing the right buttons.”

“Which you’ve always been exceptionally good at but—“

“Watch this,” Seokjin scraped his throat loudly, and all eyes turned to him. “Mister Rivers?”

“Yes, Professor?”

“Come on over here with your candle.”

The young Slytherin dragged himself to where Seokjin stood and put his candle down on Namjoon’s desk, wand tucked behind his ear. Namjoon watched the two closely, annoyance at Seokjin’s take-over, but curiosity of the result of it clashing inside of him.

“Say, you’ve got this by now, don’t you?” Seokjin said in a tone that was all too familiar to Namjoon; his game-voice.

Rivers shrugged and a few other students giggled. “I suppose I could try, Professor.”

“You know I expect only the best from you, right?”

“Yes, Professor.”

“Go.”

“Diffingo!”

There were _aah_ ’s and _ooh_ ’s as the boy’s candle changed shape, and into a bottle. Seokjin clapped and nodded. “As expected from you, Mister Rivers.”

Rivers seemed very content with the praise from both his Potions Professor and his fellow-classmates as he found his seat again. Namjoon did not share their excitement much, as a feeling of defeat washed over him. 

_So it was him after all. His teaching wasn’t good enough, and Seokjin just proved that within a single class._

“So here’s the deal,” the former Slytherin called out. “Anyone who manages to complete their task within the next _five_ minutes gets awarded ten House points, everyone in the twenty-five minutes after that gets two. You can request individual help from both Professor Kim and me right now, first come first serve.”

Immediately, hands shot up into the air from over the entire class, while others picked up their wands and there were shouts of spells coming from all around. Seokjin turned around at Namjoon with a smirk. “Come on, let’s get to it.”

Although reluctantly, Namjoon went to help the students in the back, soon figuring out that they’d had troubles with seeing his demonstrations clearly. The row in front of theirs had the same problem. Upon asking why they hadn’t told him earlier, they just shrugged.

“It’s because they need incentive to do something,” Seokjin told him after all hands were down with thirty seconds on the clock. “You let them chase success rather than fear failure.”

“Incentive?” Namjoon heard the own disbelief in his voice. “Isn’t being able to learn new things incentive enough? Education is a privilege.”

Seokjin squeaked with laughter and had to lean against the wall to keep himself stable. He held his hand up and shook his head. “O-ohh t-that’s… you’re hilarious! Joonie, Joonie, not everyone’s like you. Actually, I don’t think there’s anyone quite like you!”

“Well,” Namjoon felt his face flush, “you always did well. What was your incentive, then?”

While wiping a tear from his eye, Seokjin grinned widely at him. “Being better than you, of course.”

_Happy now?_

The timer they had set on a small clock on Namjoon’s desk went off, and Seokjin clapped his hands. “Alright, let’s see it!”

As they both walked past the tables, the result was very clear. Namjoon felt himself getting unhappier with every pair of candles (or rather _bottles_ now). It was bad, he knew, very bad to feel that way. His students’ progress and learning curve should always be a priority but—

“Looks like everyone will be rewarded points today!” Seokjin beamed. “Well done!”

_Definitely happy now, aren’t you?_

The rest of the day wasn’t much better, which meant it wasn’t for _Namjoon_. His students had never seen a more lucrative day in the entire year, and the help given by Seokjin was warmly and enthusiastically welcomed by everyone; the class lively and full of laughter. Although everyone tried their best to include him, Namjoon preferred to slouch back behind his desk, sulking and wishing for the day to be over.

Even in the last class, Seokjin managed to take the spotlight. The Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff second-years were roaring with laughter as they were gathered around him in total _anarchy_ , and Namjoon had just about enough. It was almost like he felt something click inside of him; his rationality being pushed away by hot-headed impulse and boiled up envy.

_Do something dramatic._

_Dramatic like Jin._

Slowly, he got up out of his chair and picked his wand off his desk, scraping his throat as he approached his students and best friend. “As the day comes to an end,” he started, trying out a completely new tone of voice, “I’d like to demonstrate something _exceptionally_ difficult. Something only high-level wizards and witches, like myself, are certified to do. So take your seats and pay close attention to Ji— Professor Kim and me.”

The confusion on Seokjin’s face brought more joy to him than any of the progress his students had made that day combined, and he smirked as the children fell silent and quickly took their seats, their eyes burning on the both of them.

“Are you supposed to sound like me?” Seokjin whispered with a chuckle, but Namjoon ignored him, addressing the students instead. 

“Watch… and learn.” He pointed his wand directly into the former Slytherin’s face, which seemed to suddenly petrify in pure horror. “Transverto in avem!” 

The room was filled with sounds of loud gasps and then, as Seokjin disappeared right in front of their eyes, the flapping of wings. A flash of pitch-black shot up towards the ceiling, and Namjoon laughed hysterically, simultaneously strangely close to breaking out in tears. 

“HUMAN TRANSFIGURATION!” He exclaimed dramatically as the raven that was Seokjin landed on one of the wooden beams up high, staring down at the humans below with twitching head and dark, beady eyes. “Don’t try this yourselves, it could be highly dangerous!”

“P-Professor!” one of the Ravenclaw girls stammered as she stared at the raven in wide-eyed horror. “Does he… can he still _feel_?! Does he still know who he is?!”

“Ehhh,” Namjoon shrugged with a high-pitched chuckle, “can’t be sure! Some people who come back from being transfigured say they don’t remember it at all, but others claim they have vague memories of flying or even lust for raw flesh… Ha!” When he was met by twenty-something concerned pairs of eyes, he responses with a casual wave of his hand. “He’ll be fine.”

“Professor, I think you should change him back now.”

“He might get hurt!”

“This is no way to settle a lover’s quarrel!”

Namjoon was mid-way raising his wand up to the ceiling when his head jerked into the general direction of the last voice. A group of girls stared at him with big doe-like eyes, one of them seemingly on the verge of tears. 

“What?! What the hell are you talking about, Jin and I aren’t— who said we were?!”

The girls exchanged panicked glances and one quickly shook her head. “O-oh no, Professor we just… assumed you were, since Professor Kim never stops talking about you— how you were the best student in your year, and we should always listen to you and well...“ she paused and shrugged. “Everyone thinks you fit together really well. You even have the same last name!”

“ _Everyone?!_ Namjoon near-yelled in disbelief, then groaned loudly. “This day keeps getting worse and worse.” But even that hadn’t been the worst of it. The sound of flapping wings indicated the raven was on the move, and all heads jerked up to the ceiling, finding Seokjin flying up against the wall in a distressed attempt to escape the room. 

“Professor, change him back!” 

“Please do it now!”

Without thinking clearly, Namjoon followed the pleas, pointing his wand into the raven’s direction. “Retrorsum converti!”

He instantly realised his mistake as the bird disappeared, and it was Seokjin, _human_ form, falling down with incredible speed, screams from all around. There was only a split second between Namjoon’s incantation and the moment Seokjin’s body hit the ground between two desks.

“MOLLIARE!!”

There was a comforting thud; comforting because Namjoon knew the cushioning spell had managed to break his friend’s fall just in time. As Seokjin sat upright, however, a different type of damage had already been done. The former Slytherin was panting heavily as his head slowly turned into Namjoon’s direction, face twitching with anger, and the other apprentice was instantly overcome with the harsh realisation of what he had done, and what he had _almost_ done.

The tense silence was cutting, and Seokjin’s stare deadly. “Class dismissed,” he sternly said. None of the students seemed to dare to move a muscle. 

“GO!” he bellowed at them, and within the span of a minute the classroom was empty. Empty with the exception of two.

Seokjin had gotten to his feet and was standing right in front of Namjoon now, back straightened and eyes squinted at him in something close to disgust. “What the _fuck_ was that?!” 

“I—” was the only thing Namjoon managed to say, accompanied by the shaking of his head. Now that the moment had passed and his sudden hysteria had melted away, he saw the severity of the situation, and more importantly, the irrational childishness of his envy. “I don’t know what I was thinking,” he mumbled, to which Seokjin scoffed.

“I think it’s safe to say you weren’t thinking at all. What’s gotten into you? All day you’ve just been sulking behind your fucking desk, rolling your eyes at every fucking little thing I say!” Seokjin spat at him, and all he could do was hang his head low. He knew it was true. “I’ve been trying to help you all damn day, and instead you take out whatever anger it is you’re holding back on _me_!”

_Help?_

The word was like oil on the burning flames of resentment inside of him.

“You weren’t helping me!” Namjoon snapped in reply, crossing his arms as he locked eyes with his friend. “You were showing off you’re better at this than I am, like _always_! I _know_ you’re better, okay?! You don’t have to rub it into my face!”

“WHAT?! You’re insane! Those are just jokes and you know it!”

“They’re not jokes to me! This is my life, my _dream_ , and you’re ruining everything!”

Seokjin gaped at him in utter disbelief, and slowly shook his head. “You know, I have enough on my mind without you being such a grade-A asshole to me.”

“Enough on your mind, Jin?” Namjoon said in a mocking tone. “What in the world could _you_ have on your mind?! Everything is always fucking perfect for you!”

“Do you know how childish you sound?!”

“I. DON’T. CARE! I always keep my cool, especially around your smug pretentious face, put up with your secrets and little games, but I’ve had enough of it! You’re going to tell me the truth – NOW!” Namjoon’s felt his heart trying to rip out of his ribcage, his knuckles white and trembling as his fists were battle-ready.

“WHAT DID YOU SEE IN THE ROOM OF REQUIREMENT?!” he yelled, and Seokjin expression instantly changed. “IT WASN’T TEACHING, WAS IT?! TELL ME!”

A moment passed between them. No – countless moments, the clock slowly ticking away the wordless minutes. Seokjin’s faded anger still hung in the air, caught up in the mist of blind rage that cloaked Namjoon, whose trembling resentment did not follow. When the former Slytherin finally answered, he had changed completely; his tone of voice, his body language, the way the words rolled off his tongue – everything was different. As was the answer he gave to the question asked by Namjoon so many times.

“No, it wasn’t.”

Namjoon unclenched his fists, more out of surprise than anything else. “I knew it,” he whispered. “Then you _are_ really here just to mess with me.”

“I’m not,” Seokjin shook his head calmly. “I need to be here at Hogwarts for now.”

“Why?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

“You must be kidding me, you—”

“If I could tell you, I would, but it’s dangerous. Things are happening outside these walls that you don’t want to get involved in. _Real_ things. I’m trying to protect everyone by keeping you out of it.”

“Are you even hearing yourself?!” Namjoon threw his hands up in the air. Seokjin did not flinch. “You’re seriously the most dramatic person I know!”

“Let’s just call it even,” Seokjin cocked his head sideways, his expression unchanging. “You let this go, and I’ll forget about the fact you just turned me into a fucking bird.”

Hearing the words come out of his friend’s mouth, it sounded incredibly stupid. There was something inside of Namjoon that wanted to resort to laughter; belly-aching, eye-watering laughter – they’d laugh it off and tell the others, move on. But that wouldn’t happen. Seokjin had already made his way to the door, half-glancing back at him before stepping out into the hallway.

“Oh, and Eifda wants to know when you’ll come in for my Potions class assistance, as you may know, or may have actually _forgotten_ , from the sound of it, those are mandatory for the both of us during Apprenticeship.” And with that he was gone.

_Mandatory. Right._

_Fuck._

Namjoon groaned, planting his palm onto his face. No use worrying about that now. Apologies would come in due time; reconciliation over the stupid things. However, whatever Seokjin was carrying with him seemed to be far from that, and dramatic or not, Namjoon was sure he’d never seen his friend more serious.

When he arrived at their office he found it empty, not to his surprise and much to his relief. He threw his bag down next to his desk and sank into the sofa chair, staring out the window where there was still very little to see. The days were getting darker now, literally and figuratively it seemed. As he thought about it, Namjoon couldn’t actually think of a time he’d fought with Seokjin. Actually _fought_. Then again, he’d never unwillingly transfigured him either. He snorted at the thought, hoping with a heavy heart that they’d be able to laugh it off later. Even if it was much later, later would be just fine.

There were a few soft knocks on the door.

“Yeah?” he half-groaned, wanting whoever it was behind that door to magically disappear – Jimin, it turned out. The Hufflepuff stepped inside and quietly shut the door behind him. 

“Hi,” he said in a tiny voice, “do you have some time?”

“I’ve had a really shitty day, can we talk late— hey!”

There was an eruption of sobs, and Namjoon jumped out of his chair, gingerly approaching Jimin. He was entirely unsure what to do as the Hufflepuff hid his face in his hands, shaking heavily as he cried uncontrollably. 

“Jiminie,” Namjoon whispered, hopelessly staring at his friend.

“I w-wanted t-to be b-brave, but n-now… now I-I’m lo—losing h-him,” Jimin stammered between hiccupped, shuddering breaths. “He w-won’t t-talk to m-me a-any-more, N-Namjoon. H-He’s off t-to make h-his dream c-come tr— true a-and I’ve j-just s-screwed everything u-up!”

“Wait,” the former Ravenclaw grabbed the shorter by his arms, leaning his head down in an attempt to make eye contact. “Who are you talking about?”

Jimin looked up at him with swollen bloodshot eyes, his cheeks wet, and nose a shade darker than the rest of his face. “T-Tae!”

“Ah,” Namjoon nodded slowly, “right, Quidditch.”

“I h-hate Q-Quidditch!” the Hufflepuff exclaimed, followed by more sobbing. He flung his arms around Namjoon’s middle and pressed himself up against him, face nuzzled away into his robes. 

This wasn’t all too comfortable. It’s not like Namjoon was _uncomfortable_ , but physical intimacy was just something… different. Something _he_ just didn’t do. Luckily for him, he had found a best friend who was just like him, but he knew Jimin was different. Taehyung and Jimin were complete opposites of Seokjin and himself in that way, and he knew this is what the Hufflepuff needed.

“I uhm,” Namjoon hesitated. He wasn’t quite sure if what he wanted to say would help, but if there was even the smallest chance his own failure would give Jimin strength, he’d have to risk it. “The Room,” he tried to pick the right words, and he gently laid a hand on Jimin’s head, stroking him softly. “It hasn’t only driven you two apart. The dream I’m chasing… I’m kind of screwing up too.” He sighed and locked eyes with his friend as he looked up with watery, puzzled eyes.

“But you’ve already d-done it. You’ll be a professor next year,” Jimin softly said, to which Namjoon let out a chuckle.

“I guess the dream didn’t stop here. I’ve just got to keep going and battle through the hardships, and so do you,” he mustered the most genuine smile he could. “Give it time.”

“It j-just seems everyone else is doing so well… Tae with Quidditch, Yoongi and J-Jungkook working together, S-Seokjin with teaching—”

_Right. Teaching._

“—sometimes I feel like I’m the only one not d-doing well. Hobi should consider himself lucky the Room didn’t show him any-thing,” Jimin finished with a hiccup. “Thank you for sharing, Namjoon. You’ll easily m-make it through, you’re t-the smartest person I know!”

Namjoon laughed somewhat bitterly, biting into his bottom lip. “Yeah well, I just turned Jin into a bird and almost broke his neck, and I’m pretty sure most of our students think we’re in love, so—”

“ _What?!_ ”

For all his misery of today, the confused, squint-eyed grin that appeared on Jimin’s face made it all a little better. Before he could answer, there was gust of wind as the door swung open to the inside, and the two jumped back. It was a storm of black and green that raged in and started sweeping the entire office.

“Yoongi?”

“What are you doing?!”

Their Slytherin friend did not respond as he pulled open the desks’ drawers, then shoving them aside and getting all on fours, seemingly scanning the floor for something. Namjoon and Jimin glanced at each other in utter wordless confusion, until Yoongi suddenly pulled open the apprentice’s bag on the floor, messily discarding of the books inside all around him.

“HEY!” Namjoon yelled and quickly collected his mint-condition (not so mint anymore) books from off the ground, stacking them carefully on his desk. As Yoongi got back on his feet, he managed to grab him by his robes and pull him back forcefully. “What the hell are you doing?!”

“Ggrhhhh LET GO!” the Slytherin grunted as he tried to escape. “My fucking notebook is gone!”

“Seriously? Maybe Kook took it—”

“He _didn’t!_ At first I thought I’d forgotten it somewhere, but this is the last place it could have been – the _last_ place, which can only mean…” he turned around as Namjoon let go of his robes, panting heavily as his eyes flickered from left to right, then came to a rest as they locked with the other’s, wide and hysterical, nearly gleaming with insanity. 

“Someone stole it.”

###### 

It had been nine hours and twenty-three minutes since his notebook had gone missing, and Yoongi had not slept a single second. His hair was uncombed, tie loose around his neck, and the only reason he did not smell as rotten as he felt was because Jungkook had forced him to take a shower and brush his teeth in the morning (which he’d found a waste of precious time, but Jungkook was a stubborn, pushy brat). Now he found himself back at square one of his searching route: the library.

_Library, Charms, Potions, Transfiguration, Common Room, Dormitory._

He had repeated the locations to himself like a mantra overnight, tracing back every single step he had taken in his head. Of course there weren’t only those places, but also the connecting corridors, Namjoon’s and Seokjin’s office, the staircases, which _moved_ for fucks sake. What if it had fallen down somehow? No, impossible. Yoongi strictly carried the notebook in the inside pocket of his robes while traveling, and yesterday had been no different. 

_Hadn’t it?_

Everything pointed to theft. He didn’t know _how_ they had managed to steal his work, but someone had. Although he was pretty much set on that theory, Hoseok had still somehow convinced ( _forced_ ) him to retrace his route one more time after class, just in case (before Yoongi would start hexing suspects, he probably really meant).

Further up ahead, Hoseok and Zed were scanning past the bookcases, tracing their fingers over the covers and checking every smaller black leather-bound book they could find. Meanwhile, Namjoon and Jimin had dedicated their efforts to sweeping the apprentice office and Transfiguration classroom one more time, and Jungkook was running through all the other rooms and corridors (“no it _isn’t_ too much to do alone, Yoongi. Leave it up to me!”). Both Seokjin and Taehyung were nowhere to be found, but that didn’t matter. No matter their efforts, Yoongi knew they wouldn’t find his notebook.

If only he’d put a tracing spell on it when he had had the chance (“like that one spell we saw at D.E.M.I.N.!” as Namjoon had friendly, but oh so infuriatingly reminded him). Everything he had was in that notebook; it was his life, and if he couldn’t retrieve it it could have severe consequences. Not only did he hardly remember about half of his work by heart, but who knew what impact it would have on Mr. Kim’s choice to offer him a job at the Ministry.

He scanned the table he always sat at, tracing his fingers over the wooden surface in the hope it would trigger some kind of memory, anything. 

_Nothing._

Come to think of it, when _was_ the last time he’d still had his notebook? Yoongi frowned deeply as he concentrated on his memories of yesterday, but all he found were a series of blurs. His memory was usually sharp, but the harder he tried to focus on a specific time of the day, the hazier it all became. When he had discovered his work was missing – back in the dormitory before dinner – he’d laid out the route for himself based on his weekly schedule, but… he couldn’t _remember_ actually living through the day, not his classes, not returning to the common room before dinner. There was only the clear memory of finding his notebook missing, right before wanting to lie down for a powernap.

Quickly, he paced towards where Hoseok was shamelessly going through a stack of books someone reading from, tapping him on the arm. “Did you notice anything weird about me yesterday?”

The Hufflepuff raised his eyebrows, pulling another leather-bound book from out of the bookcase. “Besides the mental breakdown, you mean?”

“I’m serious.”

“Okay, well…” Hoseok thought about it for a moment, staring off into the distance. “We had Charms together and you seemed pretty normal. Then later I ran into you when you were heading to the common room, that was normal too.”

Yoongi tried to recall Charms class, but was presented with as little result as before. “I don’t remember running into you at all,” he slowly said, and Hoseok cast him a puzzled glance. “Actually, I don’t think I remember anything of yesterday. Was I with anyone else that you know of?”

“If anyone, it’d be Jungkook, I guess,” Hoseok shrugged, slipping the book back. “Your mind is probably all messed up from the stress.”

“Probably,” Yoongi mumbled, then turned on his heel. “I’m going to find Kook. Thanks for helping.”

He trailed the usual path he took to his classes, hoping that Jungkook had had the same logical route in mind for his search. After checking Charms and Potions, however, the younger Slytherin was still nowhere to be found. Yoongi turned around the corner on his way to the Great Hall when he recognised a voice further up ahead, calling out to him with the wave of an arm.

“Heeeey!” Taehyung ran towards him, and he cursed softly. He didn’t have much time to spare for anyone else but Jungkook right now, and dealing with their Gryffindor friend on no sleep was something he’d rather avoid. Taehyung, however, seemed to not pick up on this, and swung an arm around his neck, and at the end of the corridor a group of younger girls broke out in ecstatic whispers and giggles are they stared at the two of them. “How’s my favourite Slytherin doing? Don’t tell Kook I said that, he might cry.”

“Sorry, I don’t really have time right now. Have you seen him?” Yoongi pulled away from his friend, who pouted his lips. “I need to find Kook.”

“Haven’t, sorry,” Taehyung shrugged with a smirk, casting a glance to the girls who had moved in closer. “Am I not good enough for you?”

Yoongi squinted his eyes at him. “You know you’re not,” to which the Gryffindor snorted. “Seriously, I need to go— why do they keep staring at us?!” he cast a deadly glance at the girls, their giggling instantly fading, replaced by cautious stares between the two boys. 

“Be nice—”

“No.”

“—They tend to follow me around.”

“Annoying. See you around.”

The Slytherin was already mid-way the corridor when Taehyung called after him. “You good again, by the way? You seemed pretty out of it yesterday.” 

_Yesterday?_

Yoongi paced back and stared at his friend with a racing heart. “Yesterday? When yesterday?”

“Uhm,” Taehyung frowned, “when we ran into each other after class. You were acting all paranoid, saying you had the feeling someone was following you?”

“What?” Yoongi whispered to himself, pressing his eyes shut and trying to bring back the memory, or any part of it at the very least. Again – Nothing. “I don’t remember that,” he told Taehyung, whose frown deepened. “I don’t even remember running into you or going to class,” he shook his head. “And now my notebook is gone. I think someone stole it.”

“Shit,” the Gryffindor cursed. “Are you sure? I didn’t want to read too much into it yesterday when you said all those things. Figured it was just stress getting to you or something, but… I’ve never seen you like that before. Do you really think someone stole it?”

Yoongi nodded, thankfully reading in Taehyung’s face that he believed him. However, getting his friends to believe his suspicions was the least important thing to worry about. A missing notebook _and_ missing memories. That couldn’t be a coincidence. It wasn’t.

“Okay,” Taehyung then said with a deep sigh, “let’s sit together tomorrow and make a list of people that might have taken it. Anyone at Hogwarts who has ever asked you about your notebook or something, or might have seen you with it.”

“So half the school, basically,” the Slytherin groaned while he rubbed his eyes. 

“Try to get some rest for now, you honestly look terrible. We’ll see each other tomorrow.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

Although rest was the last thing on his mind, Yoongi had to admit to himself that he needed it dearly. Maybe he’d remember something after he’d slept, even if it’d only be a shard or a flash of something.

After returning to the library to tell Hoseok and Zed to call the search off, and finding Namjoon and Jimin in the Great Hall to tell them the same thing, Yoongi returned to the Slytherin common room. Thankfully, as he had hoped, he found Jungkook there. All the desks and chairs were shoved aside, and the younger was frantically going through every drawer and crack in the wall he could find (much to the dismay to the people that were still awake).

“Kook,” Yoongi yawned as he approached his friend, his body suddenly aching with exhaustion. “Stop.”

Jungkook sighed and looked at him, defeated. “I’m sorry, I’ve looked everywhere. I don’t mind staying up late—”

“No,” Yoongi interrupted him, grabbing him by his robes. “Let’s sleep. I’m pretty sure someone stole it, but there’s nothing we can do right now. We’ll talk about it tomorrow, okay?” With his head hung low, the younger Slytherin nodded, mumbling a reluctant “ _okay_ ” before being pushed up the dormitory stairs. 

Yoongi was fairly sure he heard Jungkook start a protest, but he closed the seventh-year dormitory door behind him, leaving the younger behind in the hallway. At this point, all the energy he had left (which happened to be very little) he directed into slipping out of his robes (leaving them on the floor next to his bed), into his pink pyjamas, and letting himself fall onto his mattress with a groan. He could hear the soft snoring of one of his roommates somewhere on the other side.

_Must be peaceful._

He shifted further up, finding his pillow and burying his head under it. The mattress felt cold against his cheek; cold and… _hard_? His hand slid under the pillow and he felt the edges of something small and rectangular, and he pulled it out from under his face. With his other arm he lifted the pillow up so he could see what it was, feeling his heart skip a beat.

_His notebook._

Had it been here all along? Surely he had looked here, hadn’t he? He never put his notebook under his pillow, it made no sense.

He sat bolt upright in his bed and reached out to his bedside table, where he had laid down his wand.

“Lumos,” he pointed it at his notebook, flipping through he pages. It was all there; all his work. This was his notebook, no doubt about it. Had someone found it and known it was his? Had the thief copied his work and put the notebook back? Was there even a thief to begin with? Maybe it really had been stress, although he hadn’t particularly been very stressed.

Yoongi felt himself getting anxious as he stared at the book under the light of his wand. Everything seemed to be the same, there were no ripped pages or new blots of ink or strange folds. Was he going insane? 

“Tactus revelare,” he whispered, not daring to blink as the pages started glowing. There were three colours he had set for the enchantment. Three possible colours that would reveal who had touched his notebook in the past twenty-four hours, of which the third he hoped not to see.

One for himself.

_White._

One for Jungkook.

_Blue._

And one for —

Yoongi’s entire body tensed up as the pages changed colours for the third time, his wand trembling between his fingers. 

_Red._

Unfamiliar.

“Nox.”

In the dark he paced towards the exit, finding his way up another flight of stairs and into another dormitory. With sweaty palms he quietly closed the door behind him, then walked to the closest bed on his right.

“Kook?” he whispered, hoping with all his might the younger would still be awake, and his roommates wouldn’t be, on the other hand not caring who found him here at all. “Jungkook?” he tried again, then a bed-curtain was pulled open on the other side of the room.

“Yoongi?!” Jungkook’s voice came in a hushed whisper back at him from within the dark, and the elder Slytherin quickly paced to the bed, pushing his friend back onto the mattress and pulling the curtain back shut as he climbed onto the bed with him, breathing heavy and irregular. 

He pointed his wand down. “Lumos.” Both boys squinted their eyes painfully at the light, and Jungkook opened his mouth to say something, his hair ruffled and navy blue pyjama shirt unbuttoned. When Yoongi, however, held up his notebook, the younger’s near-question turned into a gape. 

“You found it!” he smiled, but Yoongi shook his head.

“Someone put it under my pillow. The touch-revealing spell I put on it told me that there was someone besides us that touched it. I don’t know who or why, but I’m putting a tracing spell on it now so this won’t ever happen again.”

The younger nodded eagerly, his eyes still on the notebook. “Okay.”

Yoongi flipped through the pages until he found the Trace the Place spell. “I was still working on tweaking it so it could trace any location in the world, but I guess this’ll have to do.”

“How far will it trace?”

“Don’t know. Far enough.”

He pointed his wand at the open pages and started to draw the wand-pattern as he had tested before. “Et track vestigum. Dahlia.” Like with Namjoon’s glasses, a series of strings poured out of the tip of his wand that wrapped themselves around the notebook, only disappearing after having covered the entire surface.

“Only you and I know the password. Don’t give it to anyone else, okay?” Yoongi told Jungkook while closing the notebook, and the younger nodded again. “Nox,” he then whispered, and darkness returned. With a sigh he leaned back against the headboard of Jungkook’s bed, closing his eyes for just a moment, finally being able to appreciate the sense of relief that had come with finding his notebook in its original state. It wasn’t over, he knew. Someone had touched it; taken it, and he’d had to find out who. He couldn’t let them… get away… whoever they… were.

“Yoongi?” someone whispered from far away, and the Slytherin smiled, softly stroking his fingertips over the leather of his book. For now, it was safe. Safe back in his arms. “Yoongi?” another whisper came, further away this time, and he responded with a hum. 

A sudden warmth wrapped itself around him. _Safe._ Then a different warmth against his side. _It’s definitely safe here._ One last distant whisper convinced him it was.

“Goodnight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sidenote: There won't be a Namjin ship in the story, but the idea of the students shipping them was just funny to me, as someone suggested in the comments on Part I c:


	9. Breaking Point

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello, I have returned ~
> 
> Although graduation is still a while away, I've decided to attempt to upload weekly again.  
> Thank you for still hanging around. I hope you enjoy the upcoming chapters!
> 
> <3

****

### Chapter 20 - The Breaking Point

****

It had always been the thrill that lured him in, time and time again. Complete freedom and the vulnerability of trying to master the art of blending with the untameable forces of nature, knowing damn well that a large part of it was sheer luck. If Mother Nature did not feel like letting him ride along her waves, he would have to play it safe. That’s just how it was, and how it had always been. But Taehyung was stubborn as ever, today being no exception. He liked the game rough.

Strands of hair glued to his forehead and his enchanted goggles, he squinted his eyes at the field below him. Chances of spotting the Snitch were very slim in a near-storm like this, let alone this high up, but he needed to refocus on the game; pull himself together. The Ravenclaw team was fifty points ahead of them thirty minutes into the match, which was not a disaster in itself, but losing his first match as Captain would definitely be. With everything going to shit lately, he _needed_ this win. He needed the victory, the praise. The thought of the embarrassment that defeat would bring as being the face of the team was bad enough, only empowered by the fact everyone would be watching.

With two hands steady around his broomstick – the only thing preventing them from slipping off the soaked wood being the leather of his gloves – Taehyung steered to his left, circling the pitch from above. Through the fog that had settled over the field he could barely distinct the players from each other, the blue and red team colours lost in the haze. The cheers of the crowd were in competition with the raging storm that blustered through the stadium as if being a spectator of its own. Taehyung pushed himself down in hope to get a closer look at his team’s formation, wishing with all his might they had been able to stick to the tactics they had discussed. Perhaps he’d have to ask for a time-out. Regroup and switch plans. 

There was a sudden roar from down below, and the commentator’s voice boomed through the Pitch.

**_“RAVENCLAW SCORES AGAIN! THERE ARE HIGH HOPES OF THEM WINNING IF GRYFFINDOR’S KEEPER ‘KEEPS’ THIS UP, HA! … SORRY WE’RE ALL TIRED HERE, OKAY?!”_ **

_Damn it._

Admittedly, tactical offense strategies hadn’t been his strongest point. Neither had defensive strategies, actually, and it was showing. Ravenclaw clearly had the upper hand in the game, having the same experienced Captain for four years now, but the Gryffindor team had hardly been able to choose someone to lead the team after Dahlia had graduated. 

Clamping his hands around his broom, he dove straight down into the pitch, the icy wind pulling at him from all sides and the rain painfully slamming against his face. He pulled up in an instant, coming to a halt behind his team’s goalposts. Down here there was even less to see; the fog much thicker and persistent, almost swallowing the field up whole and changing it into a swamp-like realm. He glanced up at his team’s Keeper, Inaaya, who seemed to be shivering on her broom as she nervously shifted from one hoop to another, her head snapping into every direction whenever the crowd made a sound. In conditions like this there was hardly any method she could apply to predict the opposing team’s position. 

_**”RAVENCLAW’S CHASER RAYNER STEALS THE QUAFFLE AWAY! AGAIN! AS MUCH WAS EXPECTED FROM HIM AFTER HAVING SCORED NO LESS THAN EIGHTY PERCENT OF ALL HIS HOUSE’S GOALS IN THE PAST THREE YEARS!”** _

It was hopeless. There was nothing he could do as a Captain at this point. If he wanted to save this match, there was only one thing he could do. “Come on,” he muttered to himself, lowering himself at level with his broom and making a sharp turn left around the goalposts. As he did a full circle around the field, the Quaffle was dropped three times (by who he couldn’t tell), and he only barely managed to dodge when the Ravenclaw Seeker came zooming out of the mist and almost straight into collision with him with a, “ _fuck!_ ” 

After having gone full-circle for the second time, he decided to make his way across the field and up, although that would involve much greater risk since that was where the match was played. He pulled his broom up to ascend into the fog. _So far so good_ , he thought to himself as he trailed behind two of his Chaser teammates, following their route across the field as he made an effort to scan the environment for a hint of golden sparkle.

As Taehyung stuck with his tactic to follow in the tracks of his teammates, ensuring that whatever path he was flying had already been set for him, Gryffindor managed to score twice, and Ravenclaw another three times after that. There was no concept of time in this hell of fog and downpour, the only evidence of any world outside of the players on the field being the cheers from the crowd, which seemed to grow weaker as the match grew longer. 

In the corner of his eye something glistened, and he slowed down, leaving his two teammates to disappear further up ahead. He turned his head, but there was not a single trace of what he thought he’d seen a moment before.

“WHOA!!!” 

Someone was right behind him, and Taehyung made a sudden sharp right in a leap of faith to avoid whoever was coming his way. It was a wrong bet, he knew, as something crashed into the backside of his broom, pushing him out of course and sending him spinning up and sideways. He felt his feet slipping of the metal grips as he completely lost control; the fog entirely unhelpful in letting him distinguish up from down and left from right. 

“Shhii—” he clenched his teeth and braced himself as he felt his hands slip too due to the immense force that was pushing him into every direction. Whatever he had been bracing himself for didn’t come, but something far worse did. 

He could hear panicked shrieks coming from within the crowd as something made contact with his body; crashed into his shin. Had it been another player, he would not have felt the bones in his leg shatter as he was thrown off his broomstick and slammed his head on the ground; instantly blinded by his mud-caked goggles, and a sharp pain in his temple. 

“FFFFFFFGGGGGGHH—” was he only sound that came out of his mouth as he slammed his clenched fist down into the dirt, his left leg paralysed by harrowing bolts of pain shooting up and down his flesh, rippling through his every fibre. 

**_”OW, THAT DID NOT LOOK GOOD! QUIDDITCH CAPTAIN AND STAR SEEKER KIM TAKES A BLUDGER STRAIGHT TO THE SHIN! THAT MUST’VE HURT BIG-TIME IF YOU ASK ME!”_ **

“RRRAAAAGGHH,” Taehyung pulled his goggles down with shaking hands, finding his left leg protector hanging completely broken around his foot, and, what seemed and felt to be, a complete dent in the front of his shin. He felt tears coming but pushed them back. Surely the only thing that would make thing worse would be if he’d start bawling his eyes out in front of the entire school. Swallowing hard and digging his nails into the dirt below, biting down the pain so hard he could taste blood on his tongue, his eye suddenly caught something further up ahead: an unmistakable sparkle of cursed gold come to life in this nebulous realm of agony, almost provocative; bullying him from so close-by, yet so out of reach.

“NO!” he screamed as the Snitch tauntingly fluttered closer to him, and two people appeared into sight, wands ready to come and take him off the field and tend to his injury. _He couldn’t let this happen._ “F-Fuck,” he huffed, then frantically snapping his head into every direction in search of his broom. And there it was, right behind him; just a crawl away. And crawl he did.

 _ **”WHAT IN THE— I CAN’T BELIEVE MY EYES!”**_

With his fingers dug into the ground, grasping hands full of dirt and wet grass, he dragged himself forward with all his might, fuelled by the raging flames of stubborn, foolish pride inside of him, and all the nerves in his left leg fiercely burning and raging just as hot and painfully as he let his arms pull his weight forward.

_**“SEEKER KIM IS CRAWLING OVER THE FIELD AND— MERLIN’S BEARD, HE’S GOTTEN HOLD OF HIS BROOM! HE DOESN’T PLAN TO— OH SHIT. YEP, HE VERY MUCH DOES PLAN TO GET BACK ONTO IT!”** _

In the corner of his eye, he noticed the two speeding to his help closing in, and, hovering above them, that same golden sparkle, threatening to disappear. But he wouldn’t let it. 

_They were all watching him._

With both hands he grabbed hold of his broomstick. If Taehyung had believed in fate (which he sure as hell didn’t after all that had gone down) he would’ve sworn Mother Nature reached out to him. A surge of wind pushed his broom forward, and with everything he had – and the loudest agonising scream of pain he had ever produced in his life – he swung his good leg over the seat and his foot onto the grip, launching himself up into the air. 

_He couldn’t lose._

_**”I CAN’T BELIEVE WHAT I’M SEEING!!!”** _

The world was screaming at him. It was the crowd, the two that had come to tend to him, the throbbing torment in his leg, the raging wind; the same wind that was pushing him forward with immense force, his left leg dangling lifelessly off the side of his broom as he squinted his eyes at the Snitch, which was only still barely in sight up ahead as he closed in. 

_This was his dream. That’s what they needed to believe._

_This was what he needed himself to believe._

_**”IS HE CLOSING IN ON THE SNITCH?! OH IT’S SO FUCKING UNCLEA— oh excuse me—I CAN JUST HARDLY SEE SHIT, EVEN WITH THESE GOGGLES!!!”** _

But it was clear to him. He could see that gold like a beautiful trophy light at the end of a gloomy, grey tunnel. There was nothing he had to do but hold steady as the force of fate pushed him towards it.

_This was what he needed Jimin to believe._

Completely disconnected from his consciousness, he stretched out both arms. There were excruciating jolts of electricity shooting through his shin; his muscles clenching behind shattered bones as he leaned forward. He could feel a fluttering against his fingertips, but his stomach making a full turn at that same moment, pushing his insides out.

_**”NOOO!!!”** _

The sensation of crashing was much worse this time around, and he heard a _CRACK_ coming from somewhere in his body as it made contact with the ground once more. The pain was so overwhelming he barely felt it. Actually, there wasn’t much he did feel in his moment; there was no pain, no emotion, no sensation in his hand as he held it tightly clutched together. 

The fog thickened.

_**”DID HE CATCH IT?! DID… catch… Snitch… Taehyung…”** _

###### 

….

“Taehyung?”

…

“Tae?”

…

“Don’t prod him, Yoongi!”

“Just checking if he’s dead.”

“He’s not.”

“Shame.”

“That’s not funny.”

“Not trying to be.”

The fog cleared, the air around him now much more gentle and pleasant. The fog in his head, however, was a thick as ever. There was a strange tickling against the palm of his hand, and Taehyung opened his eyes with a shuddering gasp for air, jolting upright. 

“Great, you’re awake,” he recognised Seokjin’s voice in front of him, finding the former Slytherin sat cross-legged in a chair, his fingers folded into each other as he stared at him. Taehyung opened his mouth, more in confusion that in attempt to reply, but the apprentice got up and walked around the bed, casting a quick glance back at the Gryffindor. “I’ll see you later.”

Taehyung blinkingly watched the elder leave, his eyes still adjusting to the light around him, and head spinning. He stared around the room and found his other friends staring back, most with a smile; Hoseok only changing his gaze into the direction of the exit into an ear-to-ear smile after the door closed behind Seokjin.

No one spoke, but Taehyung found Jungkook’s toothy grin as the warmest welcome back into reality when he managed to focused his attention, the youngest sat at the end of the bed he had been put in. “Took you long enough,” he slammed his hand down on the matrass, and Taehyung finally realised he was in the Hospital Wing. 

He felt his breathing get steadier and nodded slowly, counting a total of five pairs of eyes on him; Yoongi and Namjoon on his left, Hoseok behind Jungkook on his right, and the fifth next to them. But it wasn’t the fifth he had expected to find.

“That was the most insane move I’ve ever seen in my life, man!” Zed pulled at his hair, his face reading ecstatic – somewhat hysterical – enthusiasm. “Are you kidding me? The bones in your leg were _busted_ ; it took them almost twenty minutes to fully mend!”

“Twenty?” he heard himself ask, although caring very little much. Zed nodded at him, seemingly shaking his head at the same time. “So we…” Taehyung frowned around at his friends, feeling embarrassment burn inside of him at the thought of losing his first match even after pulling such a stunt.

“It was _perfect_!” Zed was the one to speak fist again. “My mom wants to talk to you as soon as they release you.”

“Your mom?”

“I invited her to come watch you play. I told you I had this, man! I knew she’d be impressed once she saw you, and you totally lived up to that!”

“You—”

“She’s talking about a sponsorship for you and everything!”

“Sponsorship? But we lost… I lost.”

There were chuckles from all the boys, and Jungkook tapped his index finger on the back of Taehyung’s hand, which he had unconsciously balled up into a fist. “You wouldn’t let go of it, even after you’d passed out,” he snorted, and the Gryffindor’s eyes widened as a set of almost ethereal, golden-laced wings weakly protested from within his grip, and he only now felt the little golden ball in the palm of his hand. 

“We... won?” he raised his eyebrows, feeling his jaw drop in disbelief. 

“Well, _you_ won,” Hoseok cocked his head and shrugged. “You’re an amazing Seeker. Captain, not so much,” to which Taehyung grinned, brushing the tip of his thumb over the Snitch’s frame as he was overcome with a sudden glowing warmth. 

“My mom says if this works out – and you have a bit more training under the Department’s leadership – you could be the youngest Seeker since Bulgarian’s Krum,” Zed eagerly went on. “He was still in school too when he played for their national team— she’s insisting you stay in school, of course, but it could work out because—”

“Where’s Jimin?” 

Taehyung’s sudden interruption brought silence to the Wing, as did it make all smiles melt off his friend’s faces almost instantly. He noticed Hoseok and Namjoon exchange a serious glance with each other, and Jungkook bore his teeth into his bottom lip while pulling at the sheets. Taehyung waited for someone to say something. Jimin and he had not seen eye to eye, but in this moment there was no one else he’d rather have with him. Had their friendship been ruined beyond repair due to his stupidity?

“I’m here,” Jimin’s voice came from behind the curtain on his right.

As the Hufflepuff appeared into sight, Taehyung’s jaw dropped. “What happened?!”

Jimin crossed his arms as all attention turned to him, and Taehyung scanned over his bloodied bottom lip, wild hair, and dark bruise on his neck. “Got into a fight,” the Hufflepuff mumbled with a shrug, to which Taehyung’s brow pulled together in deep confusion.

“ _You_ got into a fight?! With who?”

Despite the seriousness of the situation, there was laughter from beside him, and Taehyung found Yoongi with the biggest grin on his face. “Some guy from your idiotic fan club. He totally had it coming.”

Jungkook snorted softly too. “He was pretty mean to him. Said you wouldn’t want to see him and all. Jimin completely freaked out!”

“I didn’t condone _any_ of it,” Namjoon was quick to add with a stern glance into the Hufflepuff’s direction.

“You don’t say,” Jimin rolled his eyes. “You gave me a week’s worth of detention.” 

“I gave the other guy two.”

“Gee, thanks.”

With all but one here, things almost felt normal again. Taehyung was told he could leave that same evening (after being scolded heavily by several professors), although all he wanted was to stay in this moment.

_Give it time._

Time could do a lot, but would there be a place for him? Taehyung couldn’t help but smile as he felt the Snitch twitch in his hand, the laughter of his friends in the background reassuring him that there would always be good things to balance the bad. For now, he had a purpose. A purpose to fulfil the dream he had crafted for himself. The only thing he could only hope that the real dream would eventually fade, as all things tend to do with enough time.

###### 

Hoseok wasn’t eager to miss the party in the Gryffindor Tower, but something drew him elsewhere that night. With Taehyung released from the Hospital Wing (and very much up and running again) there was little to worry about. Yet, Seokjin’s sudden leave had gnawed at him, even after the others had ensured him the former Slytherin was likely just busy, or as Namjoon had mumbled ‘just being an asshole’. Even Taehyung had not seemed to mind much, because Seokjin was Seokjin, but Hoseok had a strange feeling he couldn’t shake. 

He knocked on the office door and, without much regard for privacy (which none of them really had these days), pulled the handle down. 

_Locked._

If Seokjin wasn’t here, where did he run off to? 

The Hufflepuff turned on his heel and took one step when—

“Holy sh—” he flinched as he noticed someone in the corner of his eye, a young Ravenclaw girl standing in the middle of the hallway. “You seriously scared me,” he chuckled while stroking his hand over his heart, only then recognising her as he took a step closer. “What are you doing here? You shouldn’t be out here this late.”

She remained completely still, then stepped towards the door without giving him any acknowledgement. Hoseok frowned as she raised her fist to the door and knocked three times, slow and systematically; almost unnatural. 

“Eon Jin?”

As the girl stood completely unmoved and silent in front of the office door, unease tingled down Hoseok’s spine. Slowly, he stepped towards her and bent his head down, staring at her face from close-up. Not only did she not make as much as eye contact with him, but she seemed completely unaware he was there. Her eyes were glazed over, her face entirely expressionless. The tingle spread through his limbs, now far more than unease as it paralysed him in an instant; a sinister-like terror that left him staring at her as she seemed to have no connection to the world around her.

_It was same. This was exactly the same._

Trembling in sheer horror, Hoseok stared into her eyes that saw nothing. He jumped back as she suddenly moved, his mouth agape as she walked away without a word, soon disappeared around the corner. Hoseok wanted to go after her, he did, but something stopped him. It was a familiar sickening that the lifelessness in her eyes had evoked inside of him; a traumatising reminder of the horrors that had taken place the year before. It was that same absence of life he had found in Zed; controlling him like a puppet, left to rot in that godforsaken place. 

Something touched his shoulder, and in unconscious reflex, he swung his elbow back hard, feeling it make contact with something solid, immediately followed by a loud yelp.

“AAGH!” 

It was Seokjin who he found standing behind him, his hand over his jaw and quickly backing away. Hoseok felt his knees go weak, panting heavily as he let himself fall sideways against the wall for support while the former Slytherin stared at him, enraged.

“You fucking punched me!” he hissed through clenched teeth. 

“S-Sorry, I—”

“What’s wrong with everyone lately?!” Seokjin pushed his way past the Hufflepuff and swung the office door open with a flick of his wand, disappearing into the room. Although Hoseok wasn’t sure it was the right thing to do, he followed him inside. Still trembling, he closed the door behind him and stared at Seokjin, who took a seat next to the window with a pained groan. 

“You all act like you have shit to worry about,” he grunted while tracing his fingers over his jawline, wincing. “Namjoon with his _teaching_ , Taehyung with _Quidditch_ out of all things, and _you_!” Hoseok was still in a state of half petrification in the aftermath of what had just happened, which Seokjin hardly gave him a chance to recover from as he went on a full rampage. “ _You_ have been sulking ever since we made it out of the Room of Requirement, like not being taken hostage as a brainless zombie was the worst thing to ever happen to you!”

The air changed, and something snapped inside of Hoseok as he realised how personal things had had suddenly gotten. Eon Jin’s memory left in the hallway, he stepped forward, towering over Seokjin with fists clenched, tempted to go for the other jaw too in his fury. “ _You have no idea what you’re talking about,_ ” he said in a near-whisper, the muscles in his face twitching. 

Seokjin merely chuckled sarcastically, shaking his head. “Up until this day, you still have no idea why the Room didn’t take you, do you?”

_It was bluff. This was one of Seokjin’s little games._

Hoseok opened his mouth, but the apprentice wouldn’t let him get a word in. “Have you ever considered that out of all of us, _you_ are the only one who actually got what they wanted back then? Use your head!” 

It only took him a second to realise what Seokjin meant. There was only one thing he had wanted in the weeks leading up to that day. _Finding Zed._ The apprentice seemed to notice the dots connected, because he hummed contently. “There we go.”

But Hoseok shook his head stubbornly. “No, that’s not it! The Room showed you your dreams, your _purpose_ and—”

“The Room showed us whatever required us to stay there, nothing more and nothing less! The Room had no need to take you, because you _willingly_ stayed behind.” Seokjin got up out of the chair and straightened his back, his jaw clenching. “You need to stop thinking that whatever questions you had about life would’ve been answered in the Room, because _that’s a lie_!”

“NO!” Hoseok growled. “What you guys have, that’s _not_ a lie! You guys have _everything!_ ”

“You think _this_ is what I saw in the Room?” Seokjin waved his hand around the office, shaking his head with a long exhale. “I can’t blame you for your ignorance, but you don’t know shit, Hobi!”

“That’s because you don’t ever tell anyone shit! You’re selfish, and that’s the exact reason why you and Namjoon haven’t spoken in weeks!”

“Selfish?! I’m trying to protect you.”

“Protect us from _what_?!”

“Strange things are happening and I can’t—”

“ _Strange like Yoongi’s notebook being stolen and having his memory wiped?!_ ”

Seokjin’s mouth still hung open as he had been mid-sentence, and his eyes widened. “W-When did—”

“You don’t _talk_ to any of us! You always leave us in the dark like we’re complete idiots.”

A moment of crippling silence passed between them, Hoseok hearing blood rushing in his ears. He watched Seokjin sink back into the chair, swallowing as he averted his eyes. He suddenly realised something.

“And Eon Jin she—” Hoseok felt a heavy tremor in his voice as a shockwave of anxiety pulled at his insides. “T-There was something wrong with her, I _recognised_ it. It… It was like in the Room, I—Seokjin’s eyes met his, and he knew something clicked. He read fear; fear he recognised well as it was the same that was growing inside of him. “No more secrets, Jin,” he whispered. “You’re going to tell me everything.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick disclaimer for HP (/sports) fans: I have no idea what the rules would be regarding someone falling off their broom in the middle of the match, but for the sake of the story I just wrote it like this.


	10. Two Can Play That Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi lovelies,
> 
> Sorry I'm slow with uploading, life is as busy as ever!  
> Please leave me any feedback, it'd be much appreciated <3.

****

###  **Chapter 10 - Two Can Play That Game**

****

Memories of piles of golden leaves and broken bones were left forgotten as the days grew colder, and icy winds and the first signs of snow announced Winter’s much anticipated arrival. Much anticipated mostly for the holiday it brought, and especially by Seokjin, who had spent most of December locked away in his office so far. With Namjoon avoiding their shared space as much as he could, Seokjin had enough privacy to lay out his documented findings and suspicions on underground organisations that had plagued the country throughout the centuries, as well as their motives and way of working. 

_There could be a pattern,_ he had convinced himself over and over again while digging through titles like _Dark Masterminds behind Organised Wizarding Crime_ and _History Repeats: The Gruesome Philosophy of Gellart Grindelwald Throughout the Ages_. What did the gathering of that many wizards and witches have in common? Especially when having a violent history against the Wizarding and even Muggle community on their records?

 _ **Twisted morals**_ read one of the notes he had stuck to his desk next to the pile of books. _**Belief in the ‘greater good’**_ read another, and finally _**Muggle-hate**_. 

Most of Seokjin’s pattern-notes came from literature on the age of Voldemort, which turned out to be – and had been very much expected by the apprentice – the main source for most the materials found. But Voldemort was gone, and all the Death Eaters that had terrorised by his side had long passed. And there was no sign of Concordia anywhere. Realistically seen, Seokjin had hardly more than a meaningless word to base his suspicions on. His lost father, Terri’s paranoia, a stolen-but-instantly recovered notebook, and a first year Ravenclaw girl with no memory of ever knocking on his door only brought up more questions, no answers.

As there was a loud knock on his door, Seokjin flinched in his desk chair and pulled his wand out of his pocket to clean up his notes, but as an odd but familiar pattern of four more knocks sounded, he lowered it down to the table with a sharp exhale and relief and a “yeah”.

Hoseok gingerly peeked into the room from behind the door, and was somewhat nervously beckoned further in by Seokjin, who blinked hard a few times as he suddenly realised how dark it had gotten. The Hufflepuff pulled the sofa chair closer to the desk and let himself fall down with a groan, pulling his tie loose and heaving his legs over the leather armrest.

“Is it just me,” Hoseok stretched his neck with a _crack_ (something that had really been getting on Seokjin’s nerves), “or is it every professor’s mission to make the last day before the holidays the worst?”

“Hm,” the apprentice hummed in response as he arched an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t know. I try to make every day the worst.”

Hoseok grinned half-heartedly as he ran a hand through his hair, eyes scanning the desk. “Any news?”

“Not since yesterday,” Seokjin sighed while putting a marker in the book laid out in front of him and placing it on top of the pile. “Or not since ever, actually.” 

“Are we all set for tomorrow?” 

Seokjin nodded. “She’ll will be meeting us at the Hog’s Head at five.” He paused for a moment, gaze lingering on the younger before him. “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to,” to which Hoseok snorted.

“You can stop saying that now,” he shook his head while leaning in over the desk. “I’m all-in. I’ve told you that a billion times in the past month.” There was a brief silence, and then, “and I’m sure the others would—”

“Stop,” Seokjin interrupted him, and the younger leaned back into his chair, clearly frustrated. “We’ve been over this, Hobi. Ignorance is bliss.”

“But Yoongi—”

“Telling Yoongi about all of this right now would be _especially_ foolish,” the former Slytherin snapped. “With what happened to his notebook, he would do everything to find out if it has anything to do with Concordia. That could be dangerous.”

“What if it _does_ have to do with it?”

“Then we’ll find out.”

The two friends stared at each other, Hoseok’s face laced with as much irritation as Seokjin’s was sure he was feeling right now. The elder relaxed his posture and sighed. “Listen, I’m not saying we won’t tell them at all, but… let’s just see how tomorrow goes with the Auror.”

“Fine,” was the answer he got, which was really all he could wish for after having had this discussion for the umpteenth time. “But you’re not avoiding the others anymore,” Hoseok added. “Tomorrow we’re all going to Hogsmeade together, whether you like it or not.”

The prospect of having to face his friends, who he much preferred to encounter one by one these days than in a group, wasn’t great to Seokjin. Good as he was at lying, this secret he was carrying with him had weighed heavily on him; too heavily for the others not to notice his many moments dozing off, heavy bags under his eyes, and how easily he scared nowadays. With Hoseok by his side he had some sort of cover, but it would only be a matter of time before that would be blown too, especially with Namjoon around. That’s why it was best to keep everyone at distance for now, even if that came at the cost of their friendship. Seokjin grimaced, much dreading the idea of festivity and warm, creamy Butterbeer to come. 

“Fine.”

###### 

Their group counted seven for the first time in a long while as they stepped outside, which Seokjin found far too below freezing temperature to his liking. He slid his gloved hands into his pockets and took his first step of the year onto the snow, which crunched happily under his boot. Truth was that he had not planned to spend the entire day with his friends, but he did not seem to have much choice in the matter. Once Hoseok’s persistent nature had taken hold of an idea, there was little anyone could ever do to stop him from pushing for whatever it was he wanted. 

“Yeeaaaah!” the elder Hufflepuff took a dive into a patch of thick, untouched snow. A group of younger students nearby quickly moved away as he worked at frantically sliding his arms and legs up and down, with Taehyung laughing loudly as he followed quickly, pulling Jimin down with him. 

As Seokjin observed them, he realised how balance had seemed to restore itself amongst his friends within the time that he had spent in the background. Was he still the only odd one out? He cast a quick glance at Namjoon, who broke out in laughter as Jungkook dove on top of the three others. Yoongi cursed and ducked to the side as a large snowball came flying his way, followed by Hoseok chasing after him with a pile of the icy white substance in his arms, loudly encouraged by the three youngest of their group. 

It was strange to be an outsider, although the feeling wasn’t entirely foreign to Seokjin. He had, after all, always felt disconnected from the group in some form of way. None of them really knew him. There we moment where he felt shame when thinking about it, guilt even. But it couldn’t be helped.

“May I have your attention please?” 

It was Terri’s who addressed the students in the square, some too caught up in in their play to hear her, others immediately stood ready to listen.

“Third-years, I will need you see your permission slip signed by a parent or guardian,” she clapped her hands three times, and silence followed. “No permission slip means no Hogsmeade. Other students are permitted to proceed to the village as of now, and are expected to return before seven PM sharp.”

As a line of students stared to form, slips ready, Seokjin hurried over to Terri, who exhaled deeply into her scarf as her eyes scanned over the first piece of parchment in her hand. The apprentice turned his head into Hoseok’s direction as a sign to wait for him, but the Hufflepuff was too occupied with fighting Yoongi off his back – quite literally – to notice him. 

“Hey,” Seokjin smiled as Terri glanced up at him from another slip, giving a short nod to the girl at the front of the line. 

“You all ready?” she casually asked, to which he nodded.

“Yes,” he confirmed as she sent off another third-year and tucked a few slips into her pocket. “I really wish you could’ve come with me.”

“Jin—” Terri started, but she needed to say no more. Seokjin knew what her answer would be as he had heard it before.

“I’m not asking again, I was just…” he took a deep breath. “Voicing my concern, I suppose.” An apologetic yet compassionate smile told him she understood. But even understanding was not quite enough in some situations. “I know she wouldn’t be so comfortable to talk if you were there. Anaano—”

“Amano,” Terri corrected him with a stern glance sideways, not for the first time. 

The former Slytherin shook his head, now feeling the nerves he had been trying to push away surface. He kicked into the snow. “Sorry Amano, she… she’ll know something, won’t she?”

“They will have progressed with the case since I left. But honey,” the woman took a second before taking the slip of the boy in front of her, who impatiently raised his eyebrows at her. Finally, she sent him off with a nod and turned to Seokjin. “Don’t put all your hopes on her. She’s an Auror, sworn to secrecy to the Ministry. Even if she had information that she wanted to share with you— no matter how willing she would be to, she would not be able to.” 

She paused and shortened the line by three more excitable students, and Seokjin took confirmed his friends were all still there (finding Yoongi having Hoseok in an arm lock to let Taehyung shove snow down the Hufflepuff’s coat). 

“I’m just hoping this was the right decision,” Terri then said, and Seokjin turned his attention back to her. “If she knows anything about Daewon— ah, your dad, then…” she looked pained as she let the sentence bleed out; her words unspoken, but understood by the apprentice. 

Slowly he nodded, then frowned as a familiar face – Jungkook appeared at the front of the line, beaming as he held up a slip, which Terri took from him. “You’re all good,” she said, and sent the Slytherin and former Slytherin off with a nod as they headed back into the same direction. 

“A permission slip?” Seokjin arched an eyebrow at the younger, who awkwardly smiled at the question.

“Yeah,” Jungkook shrugged as they neared the group. “I’ve never been to Hogsmeade before.” The confession did not confuse Seokjin as much as it seemed to make the younger stiffen up next to him, clearly preparing for a storm of mockery that the elder knew he was famous for. 

Instead, Seokjin smiled. “How come?” he tried in a gentler tone than he was used of himself, and Jungkook’s head snapped up at him, hands tucked safely away into his coat, and hair sticking wetly to his forehead from the snow. 

“Oh I,” he started, seemingly unsure about his case. Then, he returned the smile, sweetly. “I guess I just never really had anyone to go with, but…” he lit up. “I have you guys now!”

It made the elder laugh. Whether it was the nerves getting to him, he didn’t know, but the laugh was genuine. He nodded. “Yeah, you do.”

###### 

Today was harsh, but something about being with his friends for the first time in while warmed Seokjin just enough to survive. A nice glass of whiskey beside the comfort of a crackling fireplace also helped, of course. The Three Broomsticks seemed to be busier than ever, and the seven were reminded they were not the only ones celebrating the start of the holiday season. Rowdy cheer and the occasional wave of an arm and sloppy spills of Butterbeer around them made up for a good atmosphere. For a moment, Seokjin even managed to forget about the meeting that was nearing as the entire room broke out in a unison of Christmas Carols (several different ones at the same time, all very much out of tune). 

Taehyung made it a game to clap drastically out of rhythm and annoy the drunk woman at the table next to theirs, who put on her best voice (which wasn’t as great as she probably thought it was) to sing Silent Night, Holy Night. But that suddenly turned less amusing as they had a nearly full pitcher of Butterbeer tossed at them, and she was forced out of the pub, screaming and waving her arms and legs _(“I’ll get you! I’ll get you, you nasty blond little demon!”)_. Thankfully, the rest of their visit was fairly peaceful, and Namjoon even asked Seokjin if he had plans for the holiday (which may have had to do with the level of alcohol in his body by then). 

As the clock hit a quarter to five, the former Slytherin found himself unusually warm, leg moving restlessly up and down. Hoseok seemed to do better than him, still energetically joking around, but stolen glances at each other made clear it was time to leave. Their friends, however, seemed to have no intention of doing so any time soon. 

“So…” the eldest took his chances as the conversation about the upcoming N.E.W.T.s died out. “I’m going to get some fresh air.”

“Yeah,” Hoseok immediately shoved his chair back and got up. “Me too, actually. See you guys in a bit.”

“Oh great,” Jimin groaned as he, much to Seokjin’s dismay, followed Hoseok’s lead, stretching. “It’s waaaay too warm in here. You coming, Tae?”

Taehyung smiled, and although Seokjin was happy to see the two on speaking terms again, he could not be any less pleased as the Gryffindor followed, who managed to pull Jungkook out of his chair too. A very disgruntled Yoongi (objecting very loudly) and Namjoon followed too (struggling to get out of his seat and apologising to a wooden pillar as he bumped into it on the way out).

It was harsher outside than Seokjin had remembered, and he quickly pulled his robes shut as he stepped out the door into the snow. The small groups of people that were huddled together in the streets seemed unbothered by the cutting cold, their noses and cheeks coloured by red by the half empty (or rather half full) bottles of Fire whiskey and Glüwhein that held them company. Seokjin found himself glancing in the direction of the Hog’s Head, hoping that his friends would let him off easily without any questions. Him and Hoseok both.

“We should all meet up over the holidays,” Jungkook proposed as they slowly made their way through the street, five of them with no particular destination in mind. “We can buy each other gifts and everything.”

“Gifts?!” Yoongi snorted. “I’m broke enough without having to buy you all socks.”

“Socks? Fucking _socks_?” Namjoon giggled, his entire face flushed. “I’d expect at least a bottle of… s-something!”

“Like you haven’t had enough to drink.”

“There’s— there’s always room f—f… f’more!”

“Didn’t you only have three glasses anyway?”

“What are you the… th— the Auror of… alcohol?”

“Whatever you want, man.”

“No! No! Are you gonna arrest me, ssssir?”

“You know what? Time to cool off.” 

“NO YOONGGGG—AAHH!”

Roaring laughter boomed through the area as Yoongi planted two handfuls of snow straight in Namjoon’s face, leaving the apprentice shaking his head frantically in an attempt to get it off. When his face appeared from behind the white powder again, his expression had changed completely. He bent down, formed a snowball between his hands and aimed for Yoongi who ducked with ease, resulting in the attempted attack to find Jimin as its victim. 

“Really?!” the Hufflepuff exclaimed while readying a counter attack, snow still on his shoulder and ear. 

In a fraction of a second things escalated, and the friends roared as they flung snow at each other’s faces, Seokjin dodging as a string of attacks came flying his way. For a moment he forgot about the Hog’s Head as, before he could do anything at all, he felt someone jump on top of him from the side, and the two of them went down. 

“F—hey! NONONONO!” he held his hands up as Taehyung’s mischievous grin and a white flash promised him no good, and he a felt heap of icy powder being shoved down his coat and robes. “You little shit!” the apprentice yelled, wanting to grab hold of the Gryffindor as he got back on both feet, but finding himself too slow. 

Down the street, Jimin and Yoongi cased after the blond who tripped over his own shoes and planted face-first in the snow. Leaving no space for recovery, Jungkook took his chances to dive on top of the elder, and Namjoon followed. 

Seokjin backed up, wanting to run as Hoseok came running straight towards him with a snowball in each hand. But the Hufflepuff shoved him backward, dropping the snow as he hid them behind a wall. 

“Go,” he whispered, although the others were way out of earshot. Although he his lips were curved up into a smile, Seokjin could see there was desperation buried behind it. “I’ll make up an excuse and meet you in a few.”

There were no more words needed for the former Slytherin to turn on his heel and start running in the direction of the Inn. _Two past five_ his watch read, and he nearly slipped as he increased his speed. One much too long minute later, he barged through the heavy elk doors of the Hog’s Head, panting heavily as he scanned the room. Apart from two men sitting at a table in the back who cast a quick glance at him, and the woman behind the bar who was occupied with cleaning, the place seemed deserted. 

_Did she leave?_

“Kim?” 

His heart raced as he turned around, finding someone sitting at the single table next to the window, fully cloaked and hooded. 

“Amano?” he softly replied as he approached the person, who lowered the hood slightly so her face exposed into the light.

“Yes,” the Auror confirmed, beckoning for him to take a seat.

She was clearly older than he was, but she couldn’t be that much older. Perhaps it was due her petite size – which clearly showed despite her large, black cloak – that Seokjin couldn’t help but wonder about her age. Then again, she had only been a trainee at the time she knew his father. 

_This woman knew his father,_ he realised as he sat down, staring more intensely at her than he intended to. This conversation with her was one had had with himself many times in his own head, even dreaming about it and waking up in the middle of the night, restless and sweaty; unable to wait any longer. Yet now, as he sat here opposite from her, he found himself completely lost for words. 

“I can’t stay long,” Amano told him. “It’s a risk for me to be in contact with you, you have to understand that. Both Daewon and Terri were great mentors to me, and I have immense respect for them.” She glanced at him from under her hood, and Seokjin noticed her sincerity. “I feel like I owe it to her and his memory to do this.”

Seokjin nodded quickly, folding his trembling fingers into each other under the table. “I understand, I really do. Thank you for meeting with me. I…” It was hard to start off, but he knew time was limited. After making sure no one could hear him, he leaned in over the table. “I have questions.”

“Ask them and I may try to answer them as best as I can.”

“Well I,” he paused and his body tensed up, stomach pulling with nerves. “Terri told me there were more Aurors who disappeared on the same day as my father, is that true?”

“She—” Amano squinted her eyes, and Seokjin was afraid he had already overstepped his bounds. Terri had never been allowed to reveal this to him in the first place. Surely Amano would leave now and—

“Yes.”

Seokjin swallowed, his mouth and throat dry. “Is it true that… their bodies were never recovered? Like my father’s?”

There was another change in expression in the woman’s face, almost closer to a sense of pity this time as her eyes met his.

“Yes.”

With racing heart, Seokjin clamped his hands together. “Do you…” he paused, preparing himself for what was about to come. “Do you have any reason to believe… my father might still be alive?”

There was no reply, only the sound of soft clattering of cutlery from the other side of the room passing between them, and a rush of wind slamming against the window. Seokjin held his breath as he watched Amano part her lips, her brow furrowing deeply.

“I ca—”

_**SLAM** _

An ice-cold rush of air invaded the warmth as the doors flung open, a young man panting as he burst into the room, his face bright red and hair and coat soaked and peppered with white patches of snow. 

“S-S-Jin,” he heaved as he approached the table, apologetically waving at the woman behind the bar. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry I’m la—”

“ _Hobi?!_ ”

Seokjin flinched as Amano jumped up out of her chair, bringing her face close to Hoseok’s. The two stared at each other for a moment, then the Hufflepuff’s eyes widened.

“Yami?!” he whispered.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“What the hell are _you_ doing— are you…” Hoseok’s brow pulled as he slowly turned his head in Seokjin’s direction. “ _Anaano?!_ You told me her name was— What the fuck is going on?”

Once again rendered lost for words, confusion rather than nerves being the cause this time, Seokjin stared from one to the other with mouth agape. “I’m…” he began, but the Auror interrupted him, wagging her finger at him.

“This… this is ba,” she directed herself at Hoseok with the same finger. “I was supposed to deal with a Hogwarts professor about his missing father, not my 7th year cousin—”

“Cousin?!” Seokjin exclaimed a little too loud, and Amano pulled Hoseok down into a chair, staring around the table.

“That’s right. Terri didn’t tell me anything about his involvement in this—”

“It’s because I didn’t tell her he was involved,” Seokjin told her, dropping his voice down as a group of people entered the Inn, waiting until they had taken a seat. “He has been trying to help me get to the truth of my father’s disappearance.”

“The truth,” Amano whispered, clearly finding it hard to remain calm as her hand trembled around Hoseok’s arm, “is incredibly dangerous. I’m _not_ involving Hobi in this, you hear me? You both stay out of this.”

“I’m not a child, you know?” Hoseok pulled himself away from her, clearly insulted and doing very little to hide that. “And you don’t have to talk about me like I’m not here either.” 

“Fine,” Amano scoffed, shaking her head. “Who else have you involved in this search of yours?”

“No one. Yami—”

“Then this conversation is over. I can’t let you get yourself deeper involved than you already—”

“We know about Concordia.”

The silence that followed Hoseok’s words was almost frightening. It was if something numbed inside of Amano, her eyes dark and depthless as she stared at him. Although Seokjin was the one normally in charge of the games he played (although there was nothing game-like about this particular situation), he couldn’t help but catch himself impressed as his friend sat there, completely owning his bluff with straightened back and expression unfaltering. The fact was that they knew _nothing_ about Concordia. It was an empty word to them. If only Amano wouldn’t catch on to that.

She slowly opened her mouth, but it wasn’t she that spoke.

“We know about Livraile too,” Seokjin heard the words come out of his own mouth; words that he had not picked consciously. Words that increased his heartrate to an aching speed.

_Was there anything to know about Livraile but a name? A connection to Hogwarts that seemed ambiguous at most? Was there anything at all to—_

“Listen to me,” Amano growled at the both of them, nostrils flaring. “I don’t know what you think it is you know about Eva Livraile, but the bitch was a filthy traitor. Had it not been for her supposed _lead_ that day...” Her livid state rendered the two youngster quiet in their seats, and she clenched her teeth. “Concordia is nothing but a bunch of low-life scum, thinking they’re fighting for a better future for us in the most twisted way. _Listen to me_ ,” she got up from her seat, both Seokjin and Hoseok silently staring after her as she stepped towards the door. “You stay out of this, you hear me? Livraile wasn’t the first double agent at the Ministry, and she won’t have been the last.” Seokjin was sure she would later regret her choice of words, knowing well she was revealing more than she was allowed to. But there seemed to be more as she inhaled deeply. “Would you ever find your father alive there’s a good chance he isn’t the man you knew, which means he probably never was in the first place.”

She disappeared out the front door, leaving the two friends alone in their silence. There were dozens of brooding thoughts that flushed over Seokjin, an ominous haze slowly clouding his mind, blurring his reason and understanding of what had just happened and— …And yet, as they both sat there, Hoseok’s voice calling his name from far in the distance, there was only one thing he wanted to hear. One word as clear as day; the only one that really mattered in this moment.

_Alive._


	11. --

###  **\--**

Although he lay in the dark, Seokjin could still make out the frames and shapes in his room; illuminated by the faint light of the hallway seeping through the crack of his bedroom door. His parents were still awake, and from time to time one or the other would walk past his room on their way to the toilet or the kitchen. The boy knew very well which of the two would pass by simply by the sound of their footsteps on the hard wooden floor. He had learned to distinguish this over time, perhaps like all children do. But no one had crossed his door in a while, and, wide away as he lay sideways in bed, eyes on the door, Seokjin anticipated to hear the heavier pair of the two. It came after a little while of waiting patiently and quiet under his blanket, his hand clutched around the fabric.

“Daddy?” he called out in a small voice, his stomach twisting a little nervously at the idea that he could have guessed wrong this time; that it wouldn’t be his father.

The door opened with a soft creek, and his father peeked into the room from behind it. “Yes, Jin?” There was a sliver of a certain impatience laced into his tone, which Seokjin recognised as his father trying to be strict with him. _Trying_ , at least.

“I had a nightmare,” the boy convincingly lied, as he had done so many times before. 

Truth was that the older he had gotten, the less nightmares he would experience in his sleep, and the more his eyes were opened to the ones reality held. Times were tough. It was something he had never quite realised, but had come to learn as the innocent and oblivious playtimes of childhood had slowly turned into comprehension of mature conversation. And time spent alone with his mother while his father was away. Seokjin found himself wishing he still had normal nightmares.

His father stepped into the room, leaving the door ever so slightly open. The glow from outside pressed onto his face, leaving his gentle features and fatherly stubble exposed under it as he sat down on the bed, the matrass dipping.

There was the shadow of a smile on his face, paired with a piercing, deep brown gaze. “Are you telling me the truth?” He wasn’t trying to be strict now, Seokjin knew.

In the hope to avoid the question, the boy grabbed hold of his father’s hand, his own far to small to even cover half of it. “I just…” he paused, blushing, suddenly very aware of how tiny he was next to the man. In every way possible. 

“We’ve talked about this,” his father said calmly. “Whatever is on your mind, you can tell me, but you do not lie, Jin.”

“But daddy,” the boy whined, nuzzling his face into the pillow as he felt tears coming, “you lie too. When you go on those long trips and pretend you are a person you are not.”

“That’s—” There was a strange gleam in the man’s eyes; something Seokjin did not understand. “That’s for work. It isn’t really lying, it’s… necessary. To keep very important secrets or to catch bad people.”

“So it’s okay to lie then?”

“…”

“Daewon!” 

The door pushed further open, and Seokjin’s mother was exposed in the light. She had her hands in her sides, her head shaking at the sight at two of them. “Stop babying him,” she told her husband, then her gaze travelled to her son. “Seokjin, you stop constantly asking for your father’s attention.”

“But mom—”

“You need to get to sleep, and that’s that. Your father needs to be up early for work.”

“…I’m sorry.”

With that she was off, and Seokjin knew that he would likely receive some form of punishment after his father would’ve left for work in the morning, but he didn’t care. All the little moments he could get these days were worth anything she would throw at him. 

His father pressed a kiss onto his forehead and rose from the bed. Seokjin could feel his heart beat faster as a strange question burned on his tongue; one that came from somewhere deep inside him, an unconscious place.

“When you leave, will you take me with you?”

“Jin, what—” the man turned around from within the frame of the door, his brow deeply furrowed at the question. But there was only silence as their eyes met in the dark, and Seokjin knew his father understood. He was still a child, but he wasn’t a fool. His father couldn’t expect him to keep pretending. He was growing up. “Of course,” the answer was, quiet enough for it to stay between the two of them.

Seokjin felt a smile break through through the sea of tears that would flush over him once the door closed. “Can we go live with Auntie Terri?” he swallowed hard.

There was no answer this time. There was only a faint glimpse of something so very grown-up; something close to sadness perhaps, Seokjin thought, as his father sent him a flying kiss before closing the door. When the boy finally fell asleep, the nightmare haunted him.

###### 

Jungkook’s mother sighed dreamily while flattening her son’s hair with her fingers and pulling his shirt straight for the tenth time. It was something he _hated_. She would only ever do it when there were other people around, like he was some dog to be groomed for a show. Oh yes, he’d seen it on the Muggle television before; all those dogs standing in line, their owners beyond thrilled to decorate their freshly washed and combed fur with the most ridiculous little bows and ribbons. He didn’t have to have anything in his hair to know he was a dog. He was a dog, a dog, a _dog_ —

“Aren’t you excited for the children to go to Hogwarts?” His mother asked her friend, who was sitting on the other couch opposite from them with a glass of wine in her hand. 

“Oh yes, but then again,” she replied while glancing to her own two children at the dining table (why were _they_ not being groomed too?), “I don’t want them to grow up just yet.”

“Really? Jungkook picks up things so quickly I tend to forget he’s still so young. I personally can’t wait to see what he’ll achieve at Hogwarts. I tell you, he will be top of his class by the time he goes. It wouldn’t surprise me if they ask him for the duelling club—”

  _Duelling?_

“—perhaps even Quidditch. He’s not very fond of it, but I’m sure he would be when he discovers his talent for it and—”

  _Quidditch?_

“I have to say, it makes me a little happy mine won’t be going until two and three years later. Honestly, I can’t imagine them having to live up to your Kook—”

 _Live up to… him?_

Jungkook turned bright red. Perhaps he should feel proud, but he just couldn’t. Every word that came out of their mouths twisted inside of him, nauseating. He had to get away. He slammed his mug down on the coffee table and turned away from the two women.

“Kookie?” His mother called after him.

“Am gonna puzzle,” he mumbled, and climbed into one of the chairs at the big table. 

The two children were frowned over one of his puzzles (one of his hardest too, he noticed), feet dangling above the ground. Although they only differed a few years in age, they were very different. Jungkook had long grown tired of his puzzles, but anything was better than sitting with his mother right now ( _woof, woof_ ). He watched the two closely for a while, wordless, neither of the two acknowledging his presence in the slightest while their mothers’ chatter in the background carried on.

The little girl opposite him, the youngest of the two, scrunched her nose at the piece between her fingers, then tried to slip it into the small framework they had managed to put together. Jungkook leaned in a little closer as she struggled to fit the square-cornered bit into a round hole.

“You know, it works better if you try to put together the border of the puzzle first,” he tried, and two pairs of eyes shot up from the table, deadly. “Then you can fill the rest in based on the colours of the picture.” He pointed at the cover of the box, which showed a photo of a Hippogriff on its hind legs, and smiled. 

“Well _I_ think _this_ works better!” The girl slammed her fist down on the puzzle piece, which did nothing to help it fit in. 

Jungkook frowned, leaning back in his chair as he picked up on the hostility in their glares. “I’m just trying to help.”

The boy shook his head angrily, hands clenched into little fists. “You newa try to help! You only wanna— wanna show off!”

“I’m not trying to—”

“It’s no fun playing with you. _Ever!_ ”

“Fine.” Jungkook snapped, unable to supress a shuddering sniff as he slid out of his chair and ran to his room. He slammed the door behind him and couldn’t stop the tears from coming as he slid down with his back against the hard surface. A sense of overwhelming loneliness washed over him; one he had never before experienced. But he would come to know it better. It would stay with him for many years to come.

###### 

Namjoon didn’t notice the door open behind him, too concentrated on the paper on his desk. He was mid-way scribbling a messy note when his father’s voice made him jump and jerk his head to the side. Both of his parents were sitting on his bed, watching him at his desk.

“Sorry. We knocked twice,” his mother chuckled. 

“Oh,” he laid down his quill, “it’s okay.”

“Are you busy?”

“Just reading a little.”

“Can we talk to you?”

The question took him by surprise. Talk about what? Surely it wasn’t his behaviour; he never fought with his parents. His grades were fine too, and he was home-schooled so no trouble there either. 

“Erm, am I—”

“No trouble, don’t worry,” his father was quick to reassure him, and his parents exchanged strange glance with each other. “We just… well since next schoolyear you’ll be going to Hogwarts we thought we’d have a chat about it, hmm?”

“Oh,” Namjoon let out a chuckle, relieved. “Well, I’ve already taken notes on the subjects I will have to pass with Exceeds Expectations at the very least to get into the Ministry – not that I’d aim that low, but I figured it’s good to at least have an idea of—”

“Actually, Joonie,” his mother stopped him, “we were hoping that, perhaps, there would be anyone you’d want to see before going. To hang out with and talk to about Hogwarts? Anyone you like?”

The boy shifted sideways in his chair, frowning slightly as he found himself confused at what they were expecting him to say. “Like… you guys?”

His father smiled somewhat apologetically, seeming to struggle with his words. He took a deep breath. “Not us, dear. Someone your own age?”

“Ah. I don’t know.”

His parents waited for an answer that he couldn’t give. After all, there wasn’t really anyone his own age he ever hung out with besides the children at the Ministry. And even them he only really saw whenever there was an occasion where everyone was allowed to bring their children; evening drinks, charity galas, holiday festivities. It’s not like he didn’t get along with the rest, sure he did, but they just seemed so… _young._

“Is there anyone you consider a good friend?” his mother tried.

He wasn’t sure if there was even anyone he considered just a friend to begin with. Slowly, he shook his head. “I’m perfectly fine with spending the whole summer with you. After all, we won’t be seeing each other much when I go to Hogwarts.”

“That’s true, but—” 

Namjoon noticed his mother lay a hand on his father’s leg, and knew the conversation would end. He still wasn’t sure what had led them to want to have this conversation with him in the first place, or why there was a voice inside his head telling him they were worried. They both smiled at him.

“How about visiting one of those Muggle theme parks, then? Those seem to be fun. We can shop for appropriate outfits too.”

“Sure.”

“Okay, we’ll leave you to it then.”

With a hand ruffling through his hair and a kiss on his forehead, they both left. It had all seemed to go fairly well, but Namjoon couldn’t shake the feeling something was off. What did it really matter, after all, that he liked to spend time with just them? Did he do something wrong? 

From behind his closed door, he could hear his parents speaking to each other in hushed voices. He rose from his chair and, as quietly as he could, stepped through his room and placed his ear to the wood. It was his mother he heard.

“—our fault? Could we have done more?”

“Don’t say that,” his father replied. “He’s a good boy. We raised him well and everyone likes him!”

“But he doesn’t have any _friends_. At Hogwarts we won’t be able to be there for him anymore. What if he ends up… w-what if…” The sentence was broken up by the sound of quiet sniffing. There was a short silence before she spoke again. “I j-just… I hope he can make one friend at least. S-Someone who understands him.”

“I hope so too, sweetheart. I really do.”

Namjoon pulled back from the door, heart pounding almost painfully at the sound of his mother’s grief. Grief over him; grief he did not experience himself in the slightest, nor understood. But if there would be anything he could do to make his parents happy, he would do the best he could. He had to.

One friend. To make _one_ good friend at Hogwarts. That couldn’t be so hard, could it?

###### 

“Tae, stop! _Stop!_ ”

“Just a little more.”

“It’s scary!”

“No, it’s noooot.”

Jimin clutches onto Taehyung’s shirt from behind him as the younger prodded his toy broomstick into the hole one more time, a soft thud making him giggle. 

“My mommy says to leave them alone!” Jimin squealed, tugging hard on the younger’s sleeve. “They bite! They bite!”

“Let them bite! I’ll bite back,” Taehyung snorted, banging a fist to his chest. 

Jimin groaned from behind his friend as the broom disappeared into the dark one more time, then screamed as a set of pointy teeth dug themselves into the wood.

“NO! NOOO!” 

“RUN, JIMINIE!”

Taehyung jerked his broom out of the hole, and the garden gnome that grabbed a hold of it flew through the air. Its scream was loud and high-pitched as it swung over the wooden fence of the Park family’s backyard, disappearing from sight in all its ugly naked glory. The two boys ran fast; Jimin’s hand clutched tightly around Taehyung’s, but they were too slow for the gnomes that came pouring out of their home, angry and charging at the two enemies that had dared to disturbed their peaceful slumber. 

Despite his fear, Jimin couldn’t help but laugh hysterically (and tearfully) as Taehyung managed to swing several of the creatures back with his broom. The boy felt a little guilty too as the gnomes tried to recover themselves from being blown back onto the grass. These creatures were, after all, not hostile unless provoked. Jimin knew this, yet there was only admiration for Taehyung as he fended them off, knocking their tiny bodies away from them.

“THAT’LL TEACH YOU!” Taehyung bellowed at the last of them as they fled back into their nest. He laughed hard and turned to Jimin, who found himself shaking a little. “See? Nothing to be scared o—UAAAAAAAAAH!!” 

One last gnome had bravely latched itself onto Taehyung leg, its tiny fangs sunk deep into the boy’s flesh. Shrieking loudly as he did, Jimin kicked the poor thing and sent it flying. The little creature balled its fist up in the air from the other side of the garden, growled at them, and dove into its nest in the ground. Jimin stuck out his tongue at the thing before examining Taehyung’s leg. 

“Oooowowow!” the blond boy whimpered as he revealed a tiny set of teeth marks under the rip in his jeans; four little holes neatly punctured into his skin. It wasn’t a serious wound, but if it was enough to make Taehyung cry, then Jimin would have to tend to it as soon as possible.

“Stay here!” he commanded, hurrying into the kitchen where he started pulling drawers open and stood on his toes to look inside. The fourth had what he was looking for, and he ran back to where Taehyung was sobbing on the grass; a box of Band-Aids in one hand, and a soaking wet piece of kitchen roll in the other. “Sit still, Tae.” He started cleaning the wound. There was no blood, thankfully, but he knew cleaning always came before covering.

Taehyung winced a few times, pouting as Jimin carefully slipped one of the Band-Aids under the rip in his jeans. “I-Is it done?” 

“Yes, all done.” The older boy sighed with relief as he pulled his hand back, crumbling the plastic foil. “I told you! My mommy said they bite!”

“Mmmhm.” Taehyung bit into his lower lip, not looking Jimin in the eye as he shrugged. “Well, now we know for sure.”

“What do you mean?!”

“I mean we can’t always just believe what others tell us. We have to see for ourselves!”

“So you wanted it to bite you?”

“Y— well… maybe… no.”

Jimin stared at his friend, unbelieving of what he was hearing. Then again, nothing was unbelievable when hanging out with Taehyung. Somehow, he always worked himself into trouble. And somehow, Jimin was always the one picking up the pieces in the end. Not that he minded. He actually didn’t mind at all, as long as it meant they got to spend time together. If this was how it would always be, Jimin was as happy as he could be. He smiled and tapped Taehyung on the nose, who flinched.

“Hey!”

“You’re stupid, Tae.”

The younger boy smiled a little bashfully, staring down at his covered wound. “You’re stupid.”

###### 

The door clicked back into the lock as quietly as it could, but Yoongi knew his parents had heard him come in. They always did. He took his shoes off, neatly placing them next to his father’s by the door, then his coat, which he hung on the second hook from the middle on the wall. He swung his backpack over his shoulder, his schoolbooks weighing a ton, and stepped through the hallway, waiting for—

“Yoongi?”

That.

“Yes, dad.” He could only muster half a smile as he entered the living area, finding both of his parents in the kitchen; his mother with a book, his father busy cutting up meat for dinner. “I’m home.”

“Ah, good. How was school?” His father asked while returning to his chopping.

“Fine.”

“You know that’s not what I want to hear.”

Yoongi hesitated, knowing what was about to come, then pulled a piece of paper out of the pocket of his school uniform. He held it up and mumbled, “notsogood.”

“ _Articulate_ , Yoongi. You know I despise it when you mumble,” his mother sighed, taking the paper from him and folding it open. She gasped as she read it. “A 61%?!”

“No, that can’t be right.” His father took the paper from her and jammed his glasses onto his face, gaping at the test result. “No, no. No good! We spent _hundreds_ on that damned tutor— a 61?! I thought you’d been studying every night?!”

“I _did_ study every night!” Yoongi dropped his bag to the floor. His parents both snapped their heads at him, and he recognised the look on their faces. Anger. Disappointment. Blame. He had seen it all before. “I can’t help it! Maybe I’m just _stupid_.”

“You are _not_ stupid,” his mother slammed a fist down on the table. “You just don’t study hard enough yet. If you had studied harder, the results would have been better. Getting into a good high school is the start of your career. After that, medical school will be—”

“I don’t…” Yoongi trembled, knowing that his next choice of words could get him into a lot of trouble. But it was built up frustration that drove him over the edge. It was months and years of pressure. “I DON’T WANT TO BE A DOCTOR! OR AN ACCOUNTANT OR ANY OF THOSE THINGS! I WANT TO DO SOMETHING ELSE!”

With the strangest timing, the window over the sink suddenly slammed open with incredible force. All the cutlery and equipment on the counter rattled restlessly in their places, and Yoongi jumped back. It was the middle of summer and it hadn’t been windy out at all, but— he stared at the window as his father pushed it back shut, mumbling something about draft. Then both his parents glared at him, fury burning in their eyes. 

“Don’t you _dare_ speak to us in that tone,” his father warned him, and Yoongi shrunk a little, already heavily regretting his decision to stand up against them. “And what would _something else_ be, then? Become an artist and live in the gutter, begging for scraps? How will that make you happy? How will you take care of your family? The word is a rough place. Better you learn that from us than from experience.”

There was nothing more to say. It was their word against his, like it had always been. Of course, they knew better. They had told him so many times before; he was a child. He didn’t know anything about the world around him, and they did. _Better he learn it from them than from experience._ But there were words left burning on his tongue, and they came out in the smallest voice. “Maybe there’s more to the world than you know.” Yoongi felt his knees shake a little in the aftermath of his uncontrolled anger. 

Silence passed between them, tense and menacing. He did not dare to look either of his parents in the eye, knowing that they would break him. He wouldn’t be able to stand his ground. Instead, he focused on his bag, loathing the physical and metaphorical weight of it. 

When his father finally replied, he seemed to have thawed a little. “There are things we don’t know, that is true, but… we love you, and we want what is best for you, do you understand?”

Yoongi nodded, swallowing hard. Now he felt guilty too. Great.

“If you understand that, then why must you continue to question us like this? _Rebel_ against us like we are the enemy? Whatever you think you are searching for in life simply isn’t there. Dreams are beautiful, but they are just dreams, understand?”

He nodded again. 

“Good. Now, after dinner I will help you with your studies. We’ll get through this together. You have so much potential, Yoongi, all we have to do is push a little harder.”

Hesitating to say something, Yoongi opened his mouth, but decided against it. He would eat his dinner, study, and sleep, just like he did every day. Perhaps they were right. Perhaps the world was a rough place, but there was something burning inside of him that told him it couldn’t all be bad. It couldn’t be as miserable as he felt right now. Surely, there was more to his future than this? But he could only hope to find out for himself one day.

###### 

The lines of his drawing were kind of messy, but the colouring was coming along quite nicely. Hoseok usually didn’t bother with drawing much, but it was one of Zed’s favourite pastimes, so he sat at the table with a smile. He’d attempted to draw his family: his mother and father on the left and right; him with a sparkling wand in his hand and her with a stack of books next to her (she worked at the city’s biggest Muggle library), Dawon and himself between them; his sister just a little taller than himself (but he’d outgrow her someday, he was sure of it). He wasn’t very good at drawing, so their faces had dots for eyes and simples half circle smiles, but he was content with his creation. 

He glanced over at Zed’s paper, and noticed he had drawn himself in the crowd at a Quidditch game, cheering loudly as the Quaffle was being passed between players. His friend’s drawing was way better than his own, no doubt about it, but he admired that. Perhaps he could ask for tips one day, if he ever decided to become a professional colouring artist or something, but that’s for later to worry about. Hoseok grabbed the red pencil of the table and started colouring in his sister’s outfit. In the kitchen, a conversation between adults made up for background noise.

“—so well! Are you to be the youngest Healer in the department?”

“Youngest in fifty-three years, they said.”

“Oh, what an achievement! Well done, Tai, well done.”

“Thank you, uncle.”

“Mark my words, by the time our little Hoseok graduates you will lead St. Mungo’s yourself!”

“Ah, I...”

“No reason to be humble! Today is a day of celebration. Here,” _**clink**_ “have another.”

As Hoseok switched red for blue, Zed hummed from beside him as he held up his drawing into the light. The boy cocked his head sideways and grimaced lightly. “I went to St. Mungo’s once. I didn’t like it much.”

“Oh?”

“It was when I was _very_ young, but I remember lots of white colours and bright lights and people staring at me. I think I got hurt or something, that’s why I had to go.” Zed shook his head and put his drawing down, grabbing an eraser and meticulously rubbed it over the paper. “I don’t know exactly what they told mom and dad, but I remember they both cried very hard when the Healers asked if they wanted to sign me up for an espeerament.”

“Espeerament? What’s an espeerament?” Hoseok’s brow furrowed as he watched Zed re-draw the line on one of the goalposts. 

The boy shrugged. “Dunno. They never made me do it, so here I am.”

“Maybe I can ask Tai.”

“It sounded scary. I hope I never have to go there again.”

“Yeah…” 

They coloured for another fifteen minutes before Hoseok’s parents and his cousin, Tai, emerged from the kitchen. The two boys looked up from the table and smiled as the grown-ups took a seat at the table with them. Hoseok rolled his pencil away, long fed up with drawing, and shifted awkwardly in his chair as Tai took a look at his work.

“Nicely done, Hobi. Aspiring to be an artist one day?” The elder smiled.

Hoseok thought about it for a moment, then shook his head. “I don’t think so.” 

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” 

All eyes were on him now, and his face flushed. “Eeeeerm,” he slowly said.

“He’s still so young,” his mother jumped in. “He doesn’t have to decide now, does he?”

Tai laughed and softly patted Hoseok on the head. “No, of course not. You have all the time in the world. Hogwarts first! I’m sure you’ll have a great time. And who knows, perhaps once day you can come work with me at St. Mungo’s.”

“O-Oh,” Hoseok quickly glanced sideways, to where Zed looked up from his drawing and his eyes doubled in size. “No, I— I hear scary things happen there.” 

“Scary?” His father chuckled, and took a big gulp from his drink. “I do suppose an out-of-control Sardine Hex could be quite frightening, yes. I heard of it once! The poor man had little fish pouring out of his nose for two whole days before they managed to do anything ohohoh— excuse me. I shouldn’t laugh at that.”

“A lot of things in life can seem scary, Hobi.” Tai lowered his head to level with Hoseok. There was something comforting about him; something so confident; like he had all the answers in the world. 

Every grown-up had it figured out, Hoseok knew. Once he grew up, things would become clearer. All the doubts he had about anything at all would fade. It was a part of becoming older. He too would learn in time.

“Just remember that even the best things in life can be scary. Doing good can be scary too. Remember that, okay?”

Hoseok nodded determinedly, eyes sparkling with admiration for his cousin. “Okay. I’ll remember.”

And he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to give a huge shoutout (and honestly my melted heart) to [@kidovna](https://twitter.com/kidovna/status/877955999927156736) for this amazing piece of fanart. It's honestly the CUTEST thing, go check out their awesome work~ [(Tumblr)](http://kidovna.tumblr.com/)
> 
> [](https://ibb.co/iGm2Za)   
>    
>  [<3](https://imgbb.com/)   
> 


	12. Danger Strikes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello,
> 
> Sorry it has taken me almost 394 years to upload. I thought graduating meant being a little less busy, but life is going at full speed (in a good way, thankfully). Thank you for your patience!
> 
> Depending on how the writing process goes, the next chapter could either be the penultimate or last chapter of Part II (the last official chapter will be an Epilogue again). I've been a tad messy with planning and frameworking (you live and learn), so I hope you'll forgive any minor inconsistencies that arise in the story.
> 
> My bestie has also convinced me to join [Twitter](https://twitter.com/sSilverAndGreen), so please feel free to come talk to me and spam me with cat photo- //cough// I mean... yeah.
> 
> If you still enjoy the story please leave a comment <3.  
> Thank you!

****

###  **Chapter 12 - Danger Strikes**

****

The library was deserted. This came as no surprise as the first day back at school was the hardest and most depressing for most. Although the holiday season had treated Yoongi fairly well (he had happily spent his days with his whole family in a cosy cabin somewhere in Scotland) he had not been able to shake the feeling that being away from Hogwarts only robbed precious time away from him. Even lying very still on his bed after stuffing himself with turkey and potatoes had not been able to chase the restlessness at bay. Something within these walls was bound to give him some damn answers one way or another. So here he sat; the only student in the entire castle who was willing to spend his first free period back at school in the library, skimming through thick, dusty books that seemed to have gone untouched for ages.

He slid his finger across the page, tracing the paragraph under the title of _Cunning yet Criminal Charms_ ’s chapter three: _Consciousness_. There was a lot to find about memory charms; extracting, blurring, wiping, and even replacing. But bringing back lost memories seemed to be impossible. Or rather _undiscovered_ , as he liked to call it. With lack of better ideas, Yoongi had tried to cast several memory sharpening spells on himself, hoping that something would come back to him, but to no avail. There was a gaping hole inside his mind, tormenting him. It had been weeks since his notebook had been stolen, and although Yoongi found his memories lost beyond retrieval, he hadn’t forgotten about his chase. Someone was responsible for this, and _someone_ would pay.

There was the sound of a chair scraping back to his left, and Yoongi’s leg jerked up with a start, knee painfully crashing against the hard surface of the table. Wincing, he glanced sideways and his squinting gaze crossed a pair of piercing blue eyes. A moment passed where the two students stared at each other (Yoongi glaring rather than staring), and then the young Ravenclaw girl averted her eyes, opening the book she had taken out to read.

_Did he know her?_

The Slytherin spent another few minutes staring at the girl, but she paid him no more attention. 

_Of course he would know her; she’s a fucking student here, isn’t she? She’s probably one of Eon Jin’s friends or something, or one of those annoying first-years ceaselessly bugging Namjoon and Seokjin._

Yoongi rubbed over the painful throbbing in his leg, deciding that he was getting way too paranoid for his own good. After the pain subsided a little, he returned to his reading.

After another hour or so – yet another author convincing him memory loss was definitely, _most definitely_ beyond healing – Yoongi slipped the notebook laid out in front of him into his pocket, shoved the library books back on their shelves, and headed out. Even the hallways were quiet; everyone probably still coming down from all the holiday cheer in their common rooms before dinner, either exchanging stories of the celebrations and gifts they had gotten. Yoongi himself had received a nice set of fountain pens (for his _‘writing projects’_ as his father had called it in front of their Muggle family members), several items of clothing (all black, to his mother’s dismay), and an iTunes gift card which would be of no use to him at school. None of his friends had sent him anything, since he had told them not to. None but one, of course. 

A very stubborn Jungkook had sent him a neatly wrapped, thin package. Yoongi had somewhat grumpily unpacked it to find a new notebook in his hands, leather-bound with a single, subtle golden line tracing down the front- and backside. He had felt incredibly and _very_ irrationally insulted for a split second. _He didn’t need a new notebook_ , but a short letter from the younger had broken through his ego and made him smile.

_Dear Yoongi,_

_Merry Christmas! I hope Scotland is nice._  
_Being home feels good, but I do miss everyone._  
_Do you think we’ll be allowed to go to Hogsmeade again soon? I really hope so._  
_I know you told us not to send you anything for Christmas, but I saw this and couldn’t resist._  
_I know you don’t need a new one, but I thought maybe it could be nice to have if we work on stuff together, you know?_

_See you soon!_  
_Jungkook._

Yoongi unconsciously slipped a hand in his pocket as he walked, his index finger stroking the fresh leather surface of Jungkook’s gifted notebook, and felt the other book safely pressed up behind it. For now, the only thing in the new notebook were his notes on memory loss, the different types of charms he had found, and messy, incomplete brainstorms on potential alterations of those. Before the holiday, Namjoon had lectured him about recognising a lot case. If it wasn’t anywhere in the books, it would be nearly impossible to achieve. But _nearly_ impossible was enough for Yoongi to keep going.

As the Slytherin set his auto-pilot into the direction of the dungeons, he only encountered a couple of lone students wandering around. His mind slowly strayed from its state of distress. _Would they still serve cinnamon pudding for dessert tonight?_ He descended the stairs. _You’d think this damn castle would have some elevators by now. It’s not like it’s a Muggle-exclusive invention; even the Ministry has them._ Still complaining to himself, Yoongi entered the abandoned dungeon corridor, eyes on the Slytherin common room entrance up ahead. _What was the new password again?_ He stopped in his tracks, brow furrowing as a strange tingling settled into his limbs. _What was the…new…_

_…passw— what the hell?!_

The tingling was gone— actually… he had no longer any feeling in his body at all. Focusing all his strength, Yoongi took a step forward. Except he didn’t. His body wouldn’t listen to him. His feet stayed glued to the floor, his arms stunned at his sides, and eyelids stuck in their place. Even the muscles in his throat had gone completely numb, and there wasn’t a sound he could make; not a cry for help he could produce. 

And then it happened. Yoongi had suspected the culprit he had been after would try to come after his notebook again someday, but he hadn’t expected the fool to actually try to just steal it right off him. Then again, hadn’t that been what had happened the first time? Maybe this was _exactly_ like last time. The footsteps behind him were hurried, almost sloppy in a way. Yoongi tried to heighten his senses somehow; if he couldn’t move, shouldn’t that mean his hearing would be better or some shit? There was nothing he could learn from the stranger’s way of walking, non whatsoever. 

_Motherfucker!_

If only he could break whatever hex was holding him down with sheer willpower— if only he’d invented some kind spell that didn’t require him to move. Or use a wand for that matter, since his was tucked away in his robes, far out of reach now. It was hopeless. He would have his notebook nicked right before his eyes and his memory wiped and— _Jungkook’s notebook!_ This guy wouldn’t just take his old notebook, but the new one too. That’s probably what he was after this time. That’s the reason he was here right now; forced to stun Yoongi so he could slip his hands in his pocket while no one else was watching.

He was right. He could feel someone reach down into his robes, and an almost inaudible panting coming from behind him, just below his neck. 

_Wrong pocket, jackass!_

The hand slipped out, coming up with nothing, and the other made its way to the right pocket. Air only barely seeping into his lungs, Yoongi could almost feel every bone in his body ache at the mental strain he put on them. Not an inch of him moved as the culprit’s hand slipped into his other pocket, clearly grabbing hold of one of his notebooks. All he could do was stand there, motionless; powerless, likely to be hexed to forget all of this just like before.

Yoongi, who liked his alone time, had never found the the castle so unwantedly deserted as he did now. But somewhere in the distance, from behind the door of the common room entrance, there was movement. He could hear it— someone was coming out into the hallway; heels of shoes clicking on the cold stone, fast. Yoongi tried to produce a yelp, a scream, a groan. But his tongue lay thick and heavy in his mouth, his eyes slowly drying at a lack of blinking. He could hear the person behind him breathe faster as the footsteps grew louder, and arm pressed up against his back jerk away. 

There was a zap, like a thin bolt of electricity snapping against the back of his head. A strange fog settled over corridor before his eyes, and with two blinks the world around him was gone.

###### 

_He drifted somewhere in-between realms, through time and space. There was no sense of direction as the fog guided him forward, only a strong urge to follow. Someone stopped him once, he thought. The fog spoke for him in a controlled and calm manner:_

_“I’m going outside. Please leave me be.”_

_Outside. That’s where he needed to be. Out into the Forbidden Forest, out where no one could see him, out of reach of the magical barriers of the castle, out of—_

_Something moves behind the thick walls of his world; an intruder, perhaps. Someone to obstruct him from his mission._

_”I’m going outside.”_

_Step down if you know what’s best for you._

_”Please leave.”_

_The distortion did not fade, even after making clear it was not welcome here. What choice was there but to remove it directly?_

“….wh… you…”

_He needed to get to the forest as soon as possible. As soon as possible. As soon as—_

“………doing?”

_What needed to be done, needed to be done._

“YOONGI!!”

###### 

With searing pain in his lungs, Yoongi gasped for air and felt his hands scrape over cold, hard stone as he frantically reached around him. He couldn’t see clearly, but stood someone before him. Rushed in- and exhales rang loudly in his ears, panicked and shuddering.

He looked up from where he sat on the floor, where he hadn’t ended up by choice judging by the aching flesh of his bottom. Then confirmed by the wand pointed straight at him; an extension of a trembling arm of a younger boy, who’s free hand covered his mouth in shock, eyes bulging in horror.

“Kook?” Yoongi groaned, blinking a few times to sharpen the world around him. Where he was, he couldn’t place, but it was clear he wasn’t in the dungeons any longer. He tried to push himself up, but Jungkook threateningly took a step forward.

“Don’t move!” the younger whimpered from behind his hand. “P-Prove you’re him first!”

“Prove?” the elder Slytherin gaped at his friend, but let himself sink back down nonetheless. Something was off, he could tell that much. Whatever it was, Jungkook was onto it, and so Jungkook he would trust. “Okay. Ask me something then.”

“Ask…” Jungkook hesitated, lowering his hand away from his mouth, but keeping his wand in position. “What did I give you for Christmas?”

Yoongi arched an eyebrow and rubbed his temples, his mind slowly clearing. “A notebook. But anyone could’ve guessed that. Ask me something else.”

“Okay, what’s my favourite colour?”

“Your— how the fuck would I even remember that?!” he sneered. “There’s are so many damn important things I need to remember and I _do_ remember, and you decide to test me on my knowledge on what colour you like?! Well you might as well just hex me right now, you brat.”

Jungkook lowered his wand, and a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “You’re definitely him.”

“Great,” Yoongi sighed as he got back up. “Sorry about that.” He patted himself down and finally had the time to look around. “What are we doing in the main hall? I mean…” he pressed his eyes shut and tried to remember he had been doing. “I was heading to the common room… Why did you attack me?”

The younger stared at him, wand still clutched in his fist despite convinced he was dealing with the real Yoongi. A small group of students emerged from a corridor, happily chatting away, and the Jungkook waited for them to pass. “I _didn’t_ attack you,” he whispered, pointing at something on the floor. Yoongi noticed it was his own wand. “You almost attacked _me_. I ran into you on the staircase leading to the dungeons, and when I asked you where you were going you just said ‘outside’. I followed you, but you wouldn’t stop. When we came out into the main hall I…” he paused and shook his head slowly. “I noticed your eyes. They were all… weird.”

“My eyes were weird?” Yoongi tried to recall his steps again, but came up with nothing. He was fairly sure he had made it to the common room entrance, but… _his notebooks!_ Insantly, he shoved his hand down his pocket and felt both of the notebooks still inside. If they were safe, then what was the meaning behind all of this?

“I tried to stop you from going outside, and that’s when you…” Jungkook swallowed, clearly not wanting to say more. “So I disarmed you and cast your spell— the counter curse that also worked in the Room.”

Yoongi swallowed, heart racing achingly. “And then?”

“That was it. You came back to your senses.” The younger shifted on his feet and let his eyes wander around the hall, then rested them on the entrance. “Where were you going?”

The elder mouthed a few vowels without really making a sound, question after question pouring into his mind. “I don’t know. Outside? What’s with his mind control shit? It’s getting pretty old.” He felt irritation boil inside of him, fiercely fuelled by old memories of dark, burnt corridors. “Do we need to go back into the fucking Room, because—”

“No, that’s not it. It was different this time.” Jungkook’s voice was barely audible now, and he leaned in closer. “I can’t know for sure— I’ve never actually seen it, but…” his eyes glistened with tears now. “I think you were under the Imperius Curse.”

“Kook,” Yoongi stared at him, letting out a low, breathy chuckle. “That’s pretty extreme. Someone casting an Unforgivable Curse inside of Hogwarts?”

“You were terrifying. Like you were planning to k-kill me or s-something.” Jungkook started to shake, unable to hold his tears back. 

Yoongi stood there, hopeless as the younger wept. There wasn’t really anything he could say. If Jungkook’s guess was correct and he had tried to harm him— “I would never hurt you.” He shook his head fiercely. “Not consciously. Never.” He reached out and carefully circled an arm around the boy. “I’m… I’m sorry.”

“W-We need to t-tell someone,” the younger sobbed into his hands. “The p-professors or t-the Headmaster.”

Although telling anyone this was the last thing he wanted to do right now, he knew Jungkook was right. They had to tell someone. He picked his wand up from the floor, and softly pulled the younger toward the staircase. “Come on. I know two professors we can trust.”

###### 

“You sure you want to do this?”

“Can’t you just ever accept my help without questioning everything I do?”

“Not really.”

“Fine. Yes. Yes, I’m sure.”

“I apologise for making things weird. I never meant to involve both of your cousins into my search.”

Hoseok shrugged while picking at a loose strip of wood of Seokjin’s desk. “Yami was already involved, you just didn’t know it was her. I mean you wouldn’t have known she was my cousin if I hadn’t barged in there anyway. And Tai, well… they’re close, you know? If anyone can convince her to talk to us again it’s him. Or maybe he knows something. Either way just let him think he’s here for career-talk.”

“Mhm.” Seokjin nodded, distracted by a visual imagine of a man in a long white coat as he watched his friend peel at his desk. “We should get going then.” 

“Yeah.”

The apprentice locked the door of the office behind them before they headed out. All the corridors were empty, almost as if the castle housed no other people but them. In a way, it felt exactly like that; disconnected from the world around them. Once, the castle had meant comfort and safety to them, but knowing that there was something much bigger than life at school looming outside these walls made this reality seem small and almost insignificant. Neither of them spoke on the way.

In truth, Seokjin could barely stand the thought of having to involve another stranger in this. But Hoseok had convinced him he wouldn’t have to tell Tai anything about his father, or even who he was. As long as the conversation steered in the right direction, he would take care of it. Although there was, of course, a fair chance Yami had already told her stepbrother what had gone down at the Hog’s Head before the holidays. This was a risk they had to take.

Seokjin had made the decision to stay at Hogwarts during the two weeks after what had happened, celebrating Christmas and New Year’s in the shadows of the castle, isolated. There had been nothing appealing about the company of anyone else, much less his mother who had planned to invite her entire side of the family over. They were strange, and in turn found him strange too (which they all really loved to agree on after a drink or two too many). Truth was they had never liked his father much; always away doing strange things at his strange job that no one really knew about. Although Hoseok had invited him to spend the holiday with him and his family (seeing as it was not mandatory for apprentices to stay in the castle), sitting his days out in his sleeping chambers with the curtains closed had been the more appealing option.

They turned the corner, almost at their destination, and saw two people running down the hallway into their direction. Taehyung and Jimin.

“HEY!” the Hufflepuff, holding his hands out in front of him as if trying to stop them. “We w-were just coming to your office.” He huffed in stifled breaths, and bend over with his hands resting on his legs after coming to a standstill in front of the two. Taehyung stopped beside him, looking from Hoseok to Seokjin with large eyes.

Seokjin exchanged a concerned glance with the elder Hufflepuff, who shrugged, the corners of his mouth pulled down. “What’s going on? Are you guys okay?”

“Yeah, we’re… we’re okay.” Taehyung nodded while Jimin straightened. He looked from one to the other and swallowed before speaking, inhaling sharply through his nostrils. “Yoongi rounded everyone up in Namjoon’s classroom. He said Jungkook and him need to talk to all of us.”

“I’m sorry, but…” Hoseok gaze moved into Seokjin’s direction. “Can this wait?”

Something didn’t quite sit well with Seokjin as he watched Jimin’s face contort strangely, and Taehyung pull his mouth together. Perhaps it was the timing of the situation, but he had a strange feeling about this. But that was all it was; a feeling. Under any other circumstances he would’ve brushed this off easily. But the fact was that Yoongi had already been involved in something strange before. It could have happened again. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked the two before either of them could reply to Hoseok’s question. 

The Gryffindor chewed on his bottom lip, brow furrowing. “Don’t know. Jungkook was in tears, and Yoongi looked completely out of it. They said they’d tell us when everyone was there, but told us to watch out while we went out looking for you. Wouldn’t allow either of us split up to look either.” Jimin nodded gravely.

“Seokjin,” Hoseok nudged the apprentice with his elbow.

He understood; Tai could be arriving any moment now, and as busy as the man was, they would only get this one chance to talk to him so soon. Waiting another two or three weeks was simply not an option. He didn’t like it much, but the choice was clear.

“I’m sorry, it’ll have to wait. We both have some extremely important business to attend to. Can you tell the rest we will be there as soon as we can?”

Jimin groaned. “It didn’t sound like it could wait. Can’t you just—”

“This can’t wait either,” Hoseok interjected, and Seokjin felt a wave of immense appreciation of the fierce dedication that the Hufflepuff had developed for his own personal cause. “We will be there in less than an hour.”

Seokjin hadn’t expected the squint-eyed glare that appeared on Taehyung’s face. It came with a tone of voice that he wasn’t used from his friend, low; almost growling as he said: “What the fuck is up with you two anyway? You’re always running off together or hiding away in the office being secretive. If you think we didn’t notice you disappearing in Hogsmeade, you’re dead wrong. Whatever you’re doing can’t be more important than two of your best friends potentially being in danger, so you better pull it together or _stay the fuck away from us!”_

With that, he stormed off. Jimin gaped after him, cast a glare at the two, then followed Taehyung. Seokjin and Hoseok watched them disappear around the corner into the direction of the Transfiguration classroom. For the brief moment that the two met each other’s gaze in passing, the former Slytherin read the same mixture of confusion and guilt as was eating at him right now. Not once— _never_ had he experienced this. Not only Taehyung’s sudden anger, which, Seokjin was sure, had not come out of nowhere. Something bad was brooding inside of that boy. But it was the guilt especially; something he hadn’t felt in years. He didn’t _do_ guilt, just as much as he never used to do friendships beside Namjoon. Things had turned out strangely, and he couldn’t decide whether he liked it or not.

Hoseok took the first step further, and Seokjin followed. He watched the Hufflepuff from behind as he led him down the corridor, and mustered a faint smile as he glanced back to make sure Seokjin was still behind him. Whatever the situation was, there was very little to dislike about the loyalty and dedication that his friend put in; the genuine and heartfelt emotions he displayed whenever they discussed something. This was how things were now.

They arrived, and Hoseok let Seokjin be the one to knock on the door. Hardly a second passed before it swung open, and Terri appeared in the doorway. Her hair was greasy and slightly unkept, and the bags under her eyes had dropped even more. She looked at Seokjin and smiled, but when her eyes flicked to the side it melted right off her face when she noticed Hoseok.

“Before you say anything,” Seokjin held his hand up as she opened her mouth. “He knows everything. I take full responsibility for him.”

Terri opened the door a little wider, leaning in closer while scanning Seokjin’s face quizzically. “This isn’t about responsibility, Jin. It isn’t a professor-student thing, it’s—”

“Just hear me out.” 

Terri sighed but opened the door for the both of them. Hoseok did a little awkward bow as he stepped in, and if the situation had not rendered Seokjin as serious as he was, he might’ve laughed at his friend’s nerves. When the door was closed, Terri raised her eyebrows and cocked her head sideways, arms crossed. The holidays had not treated her well by the looks of it.

“Out with it then.”

There was hardly time to waste, but Seokjin hesitated as her dark eyes pierced through him; close to insanity. He distracting himself with Hoseok, who had positioned himself next to Terri’s bed, back straight, arms stiffly beside him, and jaws twitching as he grinded his teeth. To stand here in his professor’s sleeping chambers with no real prior introduction on his role in all of this had to be nerve-wracking. Seokjin meant what he said about taking full responsibility for his friend, knowing well that out in the real world that would ultimately mean very little. Perhaps it already meant nothing inside these walls. Whatever had happened to Jungkook and Yoongi—

_Where along the way did he start to care so damn much?_

The apprentice sighed and turned away from the Hufflepuff, facing Terri with every grain of determination he could muster to put power in his voice, and not trying to think about the others for the time being. He swallowed dryly, nudging his head into Hoseok’s direction as he began. “Hoseok had been onto me for a while and found out what was going on.”

“How the hell did he _find out?_ ”

“I told him everything.”

“That isn’t the same thing.”

“It was my decision.” Seokjin sucked his lungs full with air, his chest rising high to give the impression he was sure of his case, chin up. “I apologise if you have the impression I’ve jeopardised the case, but I trust him fully. Besides,” he caught his nerves slipping past his façade as his voice cracked. He cleared his throat. “Yami Amano is his cousin. And the man we are speaking to today is her stepbrother. Hobi has an important role to play in all of this.” The sudden use of his friend’s nickname caught him by surprise, and from the corner of his eye there were clear signs of a smile. “This was my decision and I stand by it.”

It seemed Terri could not settle on expressing one single emotion. Her face twitched weirdly as her frown of anger turned into one of surprise and confusion as she looked at the student, eyes large. Slowly, her arms untangled and she pressed her lips together hard, a shuddering exhale escaping through her nose, throat raspy as she finally said: “I sure as hell didn’t see this coming,” and slapped her hands on her cheeks. 

Neither of the boys spoke as Terri mumbled something to herself, dragging her palms over her face in hopeless frustration. It wasn’t very often she showed her distress so clearly. But the past half year had taken its toll on her; Seokjin could read it in the cracks of her skin and the dark circles that indicated insomnia. She was strong. As a child he had even though her to be near invincible; much like his father. She had always taken care of him as if he was her own in a way. And over the years Seokjin had come to understand why. To watch her slowly fall apart at the hands of her unresolved past brought him a pain unfamiliar to him.

“Will you open the Floo Network for us?” he spoke gently, and Terri nodded slowly. 

She lowered her arms and stepped past Hoseok towards a rather large fireplace behind two sofa chairs and a table littered with notes of parchment, a few quills and pots of empty ink, and a small stack of books. As she waved her wand in a circle, she muttered a spell that caused the wooden logs to light up green for a brief moment, then turned to the two boys. 

“It’s open.” The woman hurried to the door, glancing back at the two. “You have an hour, so make sure he’s gone before that. And don’t mention my name.” She left the room.

“Okay,” Hoseok exhaled deeply, staring at the fireplace. “He should be here any moment.”

Seokjin dropped himself in the sofa chair beside the table, observing the room. Like Terri’s office, her chambers seemed far too messy for the type of person she normally was. A set of crinkled robes hung over the door of her open wardrobe, and the items of clothing inside were all thrown on the planks in uncategorised piles. There were small items strewn across the unmade bed, which varied from crumpled pieces of parchment to wrappers of sweets to potion ingredients and, strangely, a set of scales. When his eye caught something pink he quickly looked away, feeling his face flush.

 _She could’ve at least put away her fucking laundry,_ he thought to himself, hoping dearly that Hoseok wouldn’t notice his professor’s undergarments (and even more so wishing _he_ hadn’t seen them). To distract himself, he let his gaze wander over the scattered items that littered the floor, and spotted something stuck under the rug. He bent forward in the chair to slide a piece of parchment out from under it; a forgotten note. His entire body clenched together when he read the first word. It was jotted down in sloppy handwriting, almost unreadable. But he recognised the name.

**_Livraile_ **

The words under that were even less clear, as if scribbled in a hurried thought or panic. He squinted his eyes trying to decipher them. 

_**She’s like me.** _

Terri had underlined the sentence several times, so hard that her quill had punctured a small hole in the parchment. Seokjin slid his finger over it for no specific reason, almost feeling the emotion that the note carried. 

_What did it mean? Why had it been important enough for her to write this down, but not specify what it meant?_

He concentrated hard on the ink, as if something would become clear to him any moment now. As if staring at the words would help him make sense of their meaning. Around him, the world had been blocked out. It as only after Hoseok suddenly called his name he noticed they counted three now.

Seokjin had always prided himself on being able to read people fairly well, but seeing Tai stand before him caught him off guard. When Hoseok had spoken of the Healer, the apprentice had imagined someone much older; a practiced man with the lines of stress and experience visible in his face, but not masking his gentle Healer-like features. But Tai was nothing like he had imagined. His face was rather sharp and his facial hair perfectly kept and trimmed around the shape of his jawline. He was slightly taller than Hoseok and, completely out of character, wore expensive navy dress robes. Had Seokjin not known about his occupation, he would’ve guessed Tai was a business man; perhaps one of law working at the Ministry. He definitely looked the part.

When Tai smiled at him, a shiver tingled down Seokjin’s spine. He could feel the tension that had built up in his limbs after finding the note take form in a strange sense of irrational paranoia, and he could not bring himself smile back. 

The Healer reached out his hand. “Pleased to meet you, Professor Kim. Thank you for allowing me to talk to my cousin here.” 

Seokjin blinked at him, an awkward few seconds passing by before he finally snapped out of it and shook his hand, getting up from out of the chair. He crumpled Terri’s note up in his other hand, clenching a firm fist around it. “Yes, of course,” he said while nodding at Tai. “No problem at all.”

As his muscles relaxed, Tai’s smile transformed into a gentler one, although there was nothing in his face that changed. The Healer examined the the room curiously, and the former Slytherin tried to warm himself up to his presence. “Are these your sleeping chambers?”

“Ah— y-yeah,” Seokjin stammered before being able to catch the lie from slipping out. He wasn’t sure why he felt the need to lie in the first place, and he noticed Hoseok’s confusion too as he frowned from behind Tai. “Sorry for the mess.”

“Oh, that’s quite alright,” Tai answered, eyes scanning over the room. When his eyes rested on the undergarments on the bed, he inhaled in such a way it seemed almost like a choked gasp. He then quickly turned to Hoseok. “Shall we?”

“Yes!” the Hufflepuff clapped his hands.

“I’ll just… sit on my bed,” Seokjin muttered, fairly sure he had never felt this awkward with anyone before in his entire life. He made sure to throw the blanket over all Terri’s things, positioning himself up against the headboard as Hoseok and Tai both settled in a sofa chair.

Pretending not to listen in on the conversation was somewhat difficult, but it wasn’t exactly necessary either. For about twenty minutes, Tai explained to Hoseok what working at St. Mungo’s was like, what his daily tasks were, what they needed help with, and some general regulations. Whether Hoseok was really acting to be as interested as he was or his passion was real, Seokjin didn’t know. Either way the conversation seemed to be going well, and he tried to keep busy with a book he found in Terri’s nightstand. But he quickly found _Wounds of Wizarding Warfare: Most Agonising Magical Injuries_ far too graphic for his liking. After Tai’s briefing came questions for Hoseok. About how he hoped to develop within St. Mungo’s, what his goals were, and what he considered his best abilities. 

Then, after what seemed an eternity, the two cousins rose out of the chairs, and Seokjin slid off the bed, stretching his legs. He exchanged a quick glance with the Hufflepuff, hoping he would still be able to get anything out of this for the both of them. 

“Well, this was good, don’t you think?” Tai beamed, and searched the fireplace for floo powder. “I hope I’ve given you a good impression of the hospital?”

“You did,” Hoseok nodded, catching Seokjin’s hint. “I just… had another question.”

“Yes?”

“I need to talk to Yami, but she won’t return my letters.”

Tai slowly turned around, eyes immediately meeting Seokjin’s in an almost eerie and unsettling way. “I wondered when this would come up. I can only assume you are the son of Daewon Kim.”

Hearing his father’s name come out of a complete stranger’s mouth was odd. Although he knew Tai’s relationship to Yami, there was no other apparent connection between the man and his father.

“Did you know him?” Seokjin replied, his toes curling as he stared Tai down.

“No,” the Healer answered. “But I know he was Yami’s mentor when she was an apprentice. I remember it was a difficult time for her when he and other members of their team passed. I’m sorry for your loss.”

“My loss…” Seokjin muttered to himself, Terri’s note still clenched in his fist. “Did you know the other Aurors?”

“Only by name.”

“Eva Livraile?”

“Ah, yes.”

Both Hoseok and Seokjin stared at Tai with large, eager eyes. But Tai chuckled softly and shook his head. “I can’t provide you with anything you’re searching for. I’m not invested in any Auror business at all. The only thing I know is that it is commonly known Livraile was the one who leaked a false lead to the team, after which they were ambushed.”

It wasn’t enough. What he could tell them simply wasn’t enough. Seokjin needed more, and somehow he was convinced he could still push things a little further. “There is a student that goes here by the name of Livraile,” he said. “We need to ask Yami about her. Can you please ask her to talk to us one more time?”

Tai took a deep breath, eyes cast down. “I don’t think I can. She was upset when she spoke of your encounter. I know you two are digging into something that should be left to the Ministry, and that is exactly what you should do,” he raised his eyebrows at Hoseok. “Especially you now that you’ll be working as my assistant.”

“Wh— what?” Hoseok frowned, looking from Tai to Seokjin and back. “Assistant? I thought you would recommend me for mediwizard like my sister.”

“Actually,” Tai smiled. “Dawon is about to be promoted to Junior Healer, and because of my recommendation of her I get to hire my own assistant in turn. The downside is that you will probably have to answer to her too from time to time, but I’ll make sure she stays out of your hair. So you’re hired, if you’d like.”

“I mean,” Hoseok grinned widely, and Seokjin could see him forget about everything else for a moment. There couldn’t have been a worse timing. “Yes! Thank you. I’ll give it my all!”

“I don’t doubt it. Now,” he turned back to the fireplace and grabbed a handful of powder out of a small pouch. “I suggest you two let this rest. Please do not burden Yami any more with this than necessary.”

_This wasn’t enough._

“And the girl?” Seokjin tried bravely.

“The girl,” Tai crouched and stepped into the fireplace, shoving aside the logs to make way. He offered them a pained smile. “Livraile had a daughter that was placed into the foster system after she fled. After she was declared an enemy of the Ministry and state they…” he stopped, choosing his words. “Let’s just say her daughter doesn’t quite remember her as she would have. More like a distant relative, perhaps. It wasn’t ethical what the Ministry did, there were protests and— ah,” he shook his head. “I’m not even sure you’re allowed to know this, but it is important for you to leave her be. I want you to understand.”

Seokjin just stared at the man, unable to reply as the took the information in. _Her daughter?_ A brief moment of silence passed between them, Tai waiting for someone to speak while the powder slowly seeped through his fingers. 

“Merlin’s Beard,” Hoseok finally said. “We didn’t know. It makes sense now, I guess. Sorry for prying so much. Burdening Yami or you is the last thing we want to do.”

“I know you mean well,” Tai nodded. “And I know the loss of your father must have had a crushing impact on your life, Seokjin, but I must urge you to stay away from his. Half a team of Aurors was killed on this mission, I doubt whoever is behind it would not hesitate to do the same to two youngsters such as yourselves. It’s dangerous.”

“Yeah, we’ve heard that before,” Seokjin mumbled, his eyes flicking over the wall as his mind raced from one theory to another. There were dots could be connected with this new information, he was sure of it. 

“I’ll be leaving now. If you feel the urge to do something foolish, please write me.”

“We will. Thank you.”

Tai threw the powder in his hand down. “Gravlinch.” Green flames licked around him, and he was gone. 

Hoseok instantly turned to Seokjin. “This explains everything, doesn’t it? Aubrey being Livraile’s daughter and her strange behaviour. Do you think the Ministry wiped her memory or something? That’s sickening, but I suppose it was better for the child to forget—”

“Something doesn’t add up,” Seokjin shook his head, pacing through the room with hands down his pockets.

“What do you mean? I mean it actually does.”

“It just doesn’t. If Aubrey really is Livraile’s daughter, Terri would have told me about it a long time ago, but…” he tried to bring up old memories of conversations they had had about the Livrailes. “I’m sure she has never even mentioned a daughter before. Actually,” he stopped to look at Hoseok, brow deeply furrowed and nails digging into the parchment note in his hand, “I’m sure Terri had no clue who Aubrey Livraile even was. She would have known, wouldn’t she?”

The Hufflepuff shrugged. “Maybe you’re reading too far into this? Maybe Professor Wilgens just forgot to mention it. Or perhaps she wasn’t allowed to tell you.”

“No,” Seokjin shook his head. “That’s not it. It’s—”

There were four knocks on the door; the usual signal that Seokjin had agreed on with Terri for any late-night meeting they held together. 

“Yes!” he exclaimed and quickly opened up for her. When she stepped in he left her no opportunity to speak. Instead, he grabbed her by her arms and looked her in the eyes. “Who is Aubrey Livraile?”

Terri gaped at him, clearly confused by the suddenness of the question. “I— Aubrey she…” she stopped. “What do you mean?”

“ _Please._ ” the former Slytherin begged, every one of his senses ringing like little alarm bells. “Who is she to Eva Livraile?”

“Well, she…” Terri slowly said, pouting her mouth briefly. “Her daughter, of course.”

“See?” Seokjin heard Hoseok say behind him. “She knew too.”

“No.”

The apprentice pulled away from Terri, revealing the note in his hand to her. “Do you remember writing this?”

She eyed it carefully before taking the crumpled parchment between her fingers, gingerly folding it open. Her eyes scanned over the words, and the way her mouth pressed together told Seokjin more than enough. He did not need to hear the word come out of her mouth to put all the pieces together, but hearing her say “no” fuelled the stomach-turning fear that was growing inside of him. 

“I wrote this. Where did you find this?” she asked him as he took it back. 

“Under your rug, almost as if you slipped it there on purpose.”

“Do you think I did?”

“Do you have any doubt whatsoever that Aubrey Livraile is Eva Livraile’s daughter?”

Terri did not answer immediately, but heavily blinked a few times as if trying to re-focus. She bore her teeth into her bottom lip and concentrated on her thoughts. After a minute of silence, she chuckled darkly. “I actually have no doubt whatsoever.”

Hoseok approached the two, staring at the parchment in Seokjin’s hand. “What does it say?” 

“I wrote,” Terri was the one to answer, “that Livraile is like me.”

“What… does that mean?” the Hufflepuff hesitated.

“I know what it means.” Seokjin slid the note in his robes. It was the sole fact that there were hardly any dots to connect that made things so clear to him. Despite the many questions that still needed answering, one thing was clear; Concordia had infiltrated Hogwarts. He looked at his friend, who watched him with a helpless expression, likely not knowing what to make any of it all. “It means,” he calmly said, “that Yoongi’s memories aren’t the only ones tempered with. We have been targeted by Concordia.”

“Wait,” Hoseok gaped at him. “Doesn’t that mean we’re in danger?”

“Potentially grave danger,” Terri answered, her eyes gleaming with tears. “I don’t understand how this could have happened. Are you sure we know the meaning of this note? Has anything strange happened to your friends lately?”

It had taken them long to come full-circle, but here they were. Seokjin and Hoseok blinkingly stared at each other for a moment. 

“Fuck,” the former Slytherin hissed, and he saw the same realisation wash over his friend’s face. Hard. “Come on,” he jerked the door open. “We have to find them. _Now._ ”


	13. What Was Lost (Part I)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello~
> 
> Apologies for the delay in this upload.  
> Writing has been at the back of my mind a little lately, and this chapter turned out to be exceptionally long, hence the decision to turn it into Part I and Part II + epilogue. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy the read!

****

###  **Chapter 13 - What Was Lost (Part I)**

****

Silence was the ninth person in the room; a lifeform of its own with a firm grip on all seven boys and, strangely for most of them, their Charms Professor. When Seokjin, Hoseok, and Terri had barged into the Transfiguration classroom, Yoongi had not been able to stop casting nervous glances in the woman’s way as Hoseok had urged him to explain what had happened. He was not as trusting as the younger Slytherin beside him, who had seemed relieved with her presence. Jungkook, much like Jimin and Namjoon, couldn’t have welcomed her listening ear more. If there was any way to keep Yoongi safe, it would be through the help of a professor. Taehyung would never admit this to his friends, but his mind kept wandering off. He wasn’t really there; he felt strangely alienated from everything around him. With everything that had happened, did he even have a part to play in this? Had he any right? 

The four boys had listened to Yoongi story again, and the three others for the first. With the level of discomfort the Slytherin had already felt while explaining what had happened, it had not helped much that the initial concern on Terri’s face had slowly warped into fear, and when Jungkook mentioned his suspicion of the Imperius Curse, softly sniffing again, even pure horror. 

“That’s a grave suspicion,” Terri had said. “What makes you think it was the Imperius Curse?”

Jungkook had hesitated, eyes cast down at the floor. “Well when I… when I first looked into Yoongi’s notebook—”

“Without permission,” Yoongi had interjected.

“—I saw a note below his spell. Tested with Imperius Curse.”

The room had been quiet, but Terri’s gaze said enough. “Tested with… that’s—”

“Only on insects,” Yoongi had muttered. “I know that’s no excuse, but in the name of science—”

“Science?”

“Wizarding… science, I guess.”

Now, all eyes were on the eldest of the boys. After swallowing away his pride and stubbornness and fear, Seokjin, much reluctantly, shared his own part of the story; something he never expected he would _actually_ come to do. Hoseok had urged him to tell their friends, time and time again, and he had nodded it away in hope to shake the other off. But actually telling them? It hadn’t been necessary. It had been _his_ problem, _his_ story, but— 

His eyes locked with Yoongi’s.

It wasn’t really only _his_ anymore, was it? Whatever was happening, was happening to all of them, as much as he hated to admit it.

The one to finally break the silence after minutes of mere stares and quiet sniffs from Jungkook was Jimin. He looked from Seokjin to Hoseok. “So you two have been looking into this all year?” And what he did not actually add was written all over his face: _without us?_

“Eon Jin was involved?” Taehyung said softly. “She was in danger, and you didn’t tell me anything? That’s my sister we’re talking about.”

“She’s safe,” Terri told him, but the Gryffindor remained unconvinced. He said no more.

Namjoon shook his head, his eyes accusingly narrow at Seokjin. “I can’t believe you never told me. We’ve been best friends for years. Are we even still friends?”

“I never even meant for Hobi to find out.” Although he had never before felt the need or urge to explain himself to anyone, Seokjin was quick to answer. Perhaps he hadn’t felt the need before, but if anyone had ever had any right to know the truth it was Namjoon. Namjoon, who had always stood by him and understood him best. “And of course we are. Believe it or not, the reason I hid this from you was because I didn’t think it would do you any good.” That was half a truth, but Seokjin settled for it.

“ _No one_ was supposed to find out,” Terri added gravely. “This isn’t some kind of— of…” She frantically waved her hands around, “ _adventure_. This is something that the Ministry has been working on for years; not a case for a group of children.”

Yoongi snorted, arching an eyebrow as he gave a short nod in Jungkook’s direction. “As it so happens, the _youngest_ of this group of children managed to save us all from some pretty dark magic last year,” and Jungkook turned bright red.

“Argh,” Terri groaned loudly, clenching her teeth. Yoongi wore his smirk with pride. “Why do you have to be so damn clever? You’re all far too clever for your own good. It’ll get you into some real trouble someday— then again, I suppose it already has. Never in my Auror days had I expected to—”

“You were an Auror?” Jimin’s mouth dropped open, and even Taehyung, who had done his best to blend in with his surroundings so far, couldn’t hide his surprise and made a little noise that sounded like a choked gasp.

“She was my father’s partner for years,” Seokjin confessed. “She has always been around. From the day I was born until the moment that…” he swallowed thickly. “Until now. We’ve been in this together. Always. She’s…” Seokjin paused, tears welling up in his eyes. He had always feared showing weakness. Locking his emotions away was a necessary evil; the only way to lock away the burdening grief he carried, the only way to keep people at an arm’s length. But all cards were on the table. It had only been in the Room of Requirement that his truest, deepest fears had shown themselves. It was the child inside him that had hid behind the wall he had erected to protect himself. But his walls were breaking down, and it was the fear of being abandoned that erupted from behind his defences. The fear of being truly alone. He sniffed and quickly wiped the streaming tears off his cheeks. “She’s like my mother. The only one who really understands me.” He noticed Terri look his way from beside him, but couldn’t muster the courage to meet her eyes with his.

“We—” Jimin started, but swallowed his words as he realised his well intended words of consolation would likely not mean much right now. 

“We want to understand you,” Jungkook softly said. “We’re your friends.”

“I agree,” Namjoon nodded, swallowing away his pride and personal vendetta. 

Hoseok patted the former Slytherin on the back. “No matter how much you hate it, we’re in this together. All of us.”

No one noticed Taehyung shrink away behind Jungkook as the words pierced through his heart. No one noticed, because the words were intended for Seokjin. _All of them? Could that really still mean something?_

“Okay, so let me get this straight. You think Livraile’s daughter isn’t really her daughter, right?” Yoongi asked. “Which would mean that Concordia is here at Hogwarts, and they’ve targeted us for some reason. You and me specifically.”

Seokjin nodded while rubbing his sleeve over his face, his nose red and eyes puffy. “That’s correct. For me it may have something to do with my father, for you—”

“His notebook— his work!” Jungkook squeaked.

“So a secret organisation that the Ministry has been hunting wants the work of a student? I doubt it, Kook, but I appreciate your—”

“It’s not unlikely,” Terri interrupted, and Yoongi gaped at her. “Don’t underestimate yourself. Concordia has been known to recruit all kinds of people in devious ways. I don’t think the fact that you’re still in school would stop them if they had any knowledge on your work.”

Yoongi snorted. “I probably shouldn’t be flattered—”

“You _shouldn’t_ ,” Namjoon raised his eyebrows. “So our next step in all of this is obvious, isn’t it? We contact the Ministry. They’ll handle this accordingly.”

Although it definitely sounded like the most logical thing to do, no one said a word. There were not hums in agreement or even nods, just heavily pounding hearts and more silence.

“As much as I hate to admit it,” Terri started, taking a deep breath, “the Ministry of Magic cannot be trusted. Eva Livraile had been a member of Concordia and fought by our side ‘till the right moment came to betray us and lure us into a trap. We don’t know who we can trust. If Jin’s suspicions are right it means someone planted fake memories in my head. That’s dark and powerful magic.”

“So what do we do, then?” Jimin said.

“ _We_ don’t do anything,” Terri chuckled. “It’s my responsibility to keep you safe. I’ll confront Aubrey Livraile myself.”

“That’s very noble of you, but she’s altered your memory before, who says she won’t do it again?” Yoongi’s question was harsh, but he cared very little at this point. “Face it. You’re dealing with an organisation who managed to deceive an entire team of Aurors for years, has successfully infiltrated Hogwarts, and has gotten to you _and_ us. More than once. You can’t do this alone.”

Terri sighed and bounced her leg up and down. “I can’t figure out whether I hate or love you.” 

“None of us can,” Seokjin grinned darkly into Yoongi’s direction. “But he’s right. Though I agree we should at least try to keep our youngest three out of this—” he was shortly interrupted by groans of protest by both Jimin and Jungkook, “—we need to work together. I have a plan that keeps us one step ahead of Concordia. It’s one that is relatively safe for most of us.”

“Relatively safe,” Hoseok mumbled. “Doesn’t sound all too great.”

“Granted, it isn’t the best of plans,” Seokjin answered, his gaze still on Yoongi but smile gone now. “And _you’re_ definitely not going to like it.”

###### 

Though it was early February, the early dusk that day brought the heaviest snowfall of the season yet. Most students had hurried off to their common rooms after class, longing for the comforting glow of crackling fires and hot drinks. It was Friday, so homework was hardly on anyone’s mind. And although Jungkook wasn’t focused on his at all, he still sat at the usual table in the deserted library, his Potions book open before him on the table, an empty piece of parchment next to it.

Every so often he glanced up at Hoseok and Yoongi, who both seemed to have no problem focusing on their work. It was beyond him how they managed to keep their calm with everything that had happened last month. Jungkook himself had been plagued by nervous anxiety every morning he woke up and every night he went back to sleep. Perhaps it was the reality of N.E.W.Ts that hung over both their heads that kept them so grounded, but all this sitting and waiting around rendered Jungkook restless. In all honesty, he thought he had dealt with the situation fairly well so far. But today was different, and he couldn’t just sit and read quietly. He shifted in his chair and chewed on his lip, watching the movement of the elder Slytherin’s eyes as they flicked over the page with almost unnaturally intense speed.

“Yoongi?”

“Hm.”

“Do you remember the day we met here?”

Yoongi’s eyes shot up at him, his fingers on the corner of the page. “How wouldn’t I? You were sitting in my seat.”

From beside the Slytherin, Hoseok snorted, joining in on the conversation with a smirk. “I can’t imagine that went very well.”

“It obviously didn’t,” Yoongi scoffed, which Jungkook recognised for fake. “I got stuck with him, didn’t I?”

Had the same comment be thrown his way about a year ago, the youngest face would have flushed all different shades of dark pink. But these days even Yoongi had a hard time at catching him off guard with his sharp tongue. 

“I’d say it was a much worse deal on my side,” Jungkook retorted. “Since you had me convinced being the presence of a master genius like you would be a blessing, but my life has been nothing but miserable so far. You even have me studying on Friday nights now.”

“Your grades have been dropping.” Yoongi seemed unfazed as he answered, eyes on his book again. “No one but me cares enough to scold you. It’s called tough love.”

“What he _really_ means,” Hoseok said, “is that he doesn’t want you to end up like him.”

“The better looking of us three? It _is_ a curse.”

“Socially awkward.” Without warning, Hoseok jumped up, slamming his palms flat on the table, which got him a deadly glare from the boy next to him. “Jungkook’s right. Screw N.E.W.Ts! I want to do something fun.”

Yoongi clicked his tongue while turning the page. “It’s funny how there used to be a time _you_ had to force _me_ to study. I think you’re a bad influence on me.”

“Maybe. I’m pretty badass.” The Hufflepuff crossed his arms and lifted his leg, planting his foot down on his chair. “I’m feeling particularly adventurous right now. Want to sneak into the kitchens, Kook?”

“What?” Jungkook chuckled, brow furrowing. “We ate an hour ago.”

“So? It isn’t so much about the _eating_ as it is about the _sneaking_.”

“But—”

“Come _on_!”

“Fine, fine. Let’s go, Yoongi.”

The elder Slytherin did not find it necessary to look up as Jungkook pushed his chair back, and Hoseok happily jumped up and down, let alone show any intention of following them. He merely shook his head slowly, turning another page. “Nah.”

A brief moment passed between the three of them, and Jungkook swallowed thickly as his eyes flicked to the window and he watched thick snowflakes tap against the glass. An enchantment prevented the snow from sticking, and the powdery white slid right down. Jungkook could see the world outside; far too dark and cold and harsh. In a way, it seemed no more than fitting for today. He felt a shiver run down his spine.

“What do mean _nah?”_ he finally said, his heart pounding hard as he watched Yoongi stare at his book. The elder’s eyes stuck to the page, but unmoving now.

“I have more work to do,” he said, his voice low.

“I’ll tell you a secret, Kook,” Hoseok beckoned for the younger to come closer. “I once managed to convince Yoongi to sneak into the kitchens with me. But little did I know,” the Hufflepuff circled an arm around Jungkook, who began to smirk as Yoongi turned his head in their direction. Very slowly. “That this guy had _never_ seen a House Elf before in his life. So we enter and Yoongi—”

“Fuck you.”

“— _screams_ as one of them greets us with these big, bulging eyes. They’re sweet creatures, aren’t they? But I swear Yoongi looked like he’d never seen anything more terrifying in his entire life! And when another one came running to present him with a slice of cake, I s-swear h-he,” Hoseok hiccupped as he could no longer contain his laughter, “h-he ran out of t-the room straight to the dungeons. I didn’t s-see him for two days after that!”

Yoongi’s eyes were narrowed to slits, burning spitefully. “You’d run too if your friend took you to tickle a fucking pear only to be surrounded by little pink creatures who want to stuff cake down your throat.”

“Oh, boohoo.” Hoseok laughed – a forced laugh this time around – and pulled Jungkook away from the table. “Let’s go, Kook.”

“N-No, wait!” the younger protested, pushing away his friend’s arm. “We can’t leave Yoongi alone after what happened. We promised we’d always to his side in free periods— _I_ promised that.”

“Believe it or not,” Yoongi snorted as he stretched his legs, “I’ll survive without you, kid.”

“I’m the _only one_ who can cast your counter-curse for mind control. If someone catches you alone again and I’m gone then—”

“Listen,” the two Slytherin locked eyes. Jungkook’s gleamed with concern. Yoongi’s with something else entirely. Something almost apologetic. “I’ll go straight back to the common room after I’m done. It’s been weeks since that shit took place. In hindsight I’m not even sure whether it was all real or not.”

With every inch of him in fiery objection, Jungkook nodded. “Right. Okay.”

“Yes!” Hoseok exclaimed, already skipping away.

The youngest of the three followed, albeit much more reluctantly than he let on, his steps slow. He couldn’t stop himself from glancing back over his shoulder right before he left, finding Yoongi with his back turned to them at the table, head down. Even though Jungkook saw the grounds outside covered with powdery white, all he saw was darkness. And his own reflection within it staring back at him.

When he caught up with Hoseok out in the hallway, the Hufflepuff guided him forward with a hand on his back. They said nothing, both doing their best to keep at least the shadow of a smile on their faces. When they passed the way down to the cellar, they ignored it.

“I should’ve brought some scarfs at least,” Hoseok muttered as they entered the Entrance Hall, eyes on the castle’s doors.

“Should’ve,” Jungkook whispered, heart racing as they pushed them open, and the cold Winter’s air greeted them outside.

###### 

It was freezing out. Freezing and wet. They could not have picked an unluckier night. Seokjin had debated with himself to postpone it all— perhaps even put a stop to the plan. But backing down was no longer an option. Thinking about it, it probably had never been one to begin with, but the apprentice liked to think he had any control in the matter, knowing very well whatever was happening, was happening _to_ him. He imagined this is what his father felt like while he was on a case; the thrill of the risk and adventure, yet the gut-wrenching fear of the unknown and nagging consciousness of his own fragility. He liked to think this is what his father felt like, because his father’s courage is what he needed right now.

He exhaled deeply into the fabric of his scarf again, which only provided him with a mere two seconds of warmth against his face before the icy air took hold of it again. On his left, Namjoon was rubbing his legs in the hope it would chase some of the cold away. His wand was sticking out downward from under the beanie that hid nearly half of his face. On Seokjin’s right, Terri’s breaths were series of supressed shudders, her wand ready in her hand and eyes locked on the castle doors. The doors were shut for now, but any _creak_ or _crack_ prepared them to expect to see movement.

After a long twenty minutes of waiting, Namjoon groaned loudly. “What’s taking them so long?”

“You think this is bad?” Terri answered, her eyes remaining on the door. “Try living in a tent for two weeks near a glacier in Iceland.”

The former Ravenclaw frowned, slowly opening his mouth. “Didn’t you enchant the tent to keep the warmth in?”

“…Well, yes.”

“Were you undercover?”

“No— okay it may have just been a holiday, and I may have had a hell of a good time, but it was freezing cold _outside_ is my point.”

Perhaps it was the snowfall that had robbed them from their sense of humour. Or perhaps the achingly cold wind had cramped up the muscled in their faces as it swept against their bare skin, because all Seokjin could do was shrug indifferently as Namjoon gave him a puzzled look. 

The wait took another ten minutes, and that’s when the door finally moved. Seokjin could hear Terri hold her breath as she pointed her wand at the entrance. He held his own wand clenched tightly in his hand, pointing down at the ground for now. Namjoon did the same. Terri had made them swear to let her handle the situation; she would take lead. Neither of them had been particularly happy about it, but they obeyed her will. For now.

“It’s us, it’s us!”

It was Hoseok who peeked out from behind the door. The light of the Entrance Hall drew a pleasant stripe of gold into the snow, which crunched as the Hufflepuff stepped into the cold air, Jungkook following. Neither of them were warmly dressed; only having their regular robes to protect them from the cold. Soon the glow of the Entrance Hall was gone, and their group counted five.

 _Did it go well_ , Seokjin wanted to ask, but the words stuck in his throat as his gaze rested upon the face of the youngest as he came to stand beside him, the soft light of the two torched on the castle wall illuminating his features. Jungkook’s skin was ghostly pale; paler than Seokjin’s, and _he_ had spent the last hour or so in the freezing cold. The younger boy’s front teeth bore into his bottom lip, which trembled heavily like the rest of him. And in a strange flare of affection, Seokjin wanted to hug the boy.

“Hey,” he reached out for Jungkook’s shoulder, but his hand halted before the touch. The young Slytherin looked at him, grimacing slightly, his fragility and hopelessness radiating off him. Seokjin had never been good at providing comfort in any way. Not to others, nor to himself. He raised his hand higher and settled for Jungkook’s hair, ruffling it. A painful smiled pulled at the corners of his lips as the younger cast his eyes downward. For now, this would have to do.

There was a sudden gasp and a “ _guys!_ ” hissed by Hoseok, who pointed at the large wooden doors. All wands came up this time, despite the promise the two apprentices had made to Terri, more in reflex than anything. But the woman did not even notice it happening as her bulging eyes burned on the door as it – very slowly – opened, and revealed—

“The fuck?” Namjoon hissed under his breath, wand shaking in his hand as it pointed at thin air; no one emerged from inside as the door came to a standstill. 

But the crunching of shoes on snow was enough to keep everyone alarmed. Highly focused on his surroundings, Jungkook was the first one to spot two pairs of footprints settling in the white powder in the light of the Entrance Hall, and, despite the situation, could not supress a grin as familiar bickering erupted from out of thin air before them. Seokjin, Namjoon, and Hoseok, who had the same realisation just a second later, were less happy.

“Ow! _Again_? I told you you should’ve gotten in your own.”

“You’re too tiny!”

There was a soft shattering sound; one most of them had heard before, and two boys were revealed before them. As Jimin smiled from beneath a fluffy woollen beanie, his nose already red, and Taehyung cast the group a stupidly carefree grin, Seokjin groaned and lowered his wand. The other boys did the same, but Terri remained in the same position, her mouth dropping wide open.

“We’re here!” Jimin waved, and Taehyung tapped the reflective panels around them with his wand, shattering them one by one. 

“This seems familiar,” Hoseok muttered under his breath.

“No!” Terri snapped, shaking her head. “No. No. No. _No!_ You were supposed to stay in your common rooms. Involving Jungkook in this was bad enough already. You’re both going back _right now!_ ” 

“But we can help!” Jimin took a determined step forward. “We’re brave enough.”

“It’s not about _bravery_!” The boys could hear Terri’s voice tremble with desperation. She almost stumbled forward, her shoulders shaking. “You will go back now, or I will have you expelled.”

Seokjin knew it was an empty threat, since, ultimately, the blame for anything going wrong would come down on Terri. Even if she would file to have Taehyung and Jimin expelled, she wouldn’t be able to give the Headmaster a good enough reason why. But the two younger boys didn’t know this, and they’re eyes widened.

“We just… we just wanted to help,” Taehyung said quietly, pleading eyes settling on each of the elder boys, then Terri. “Please!”

The woman straightened her back. “Go! NOW!”

“Terri!” Seokjin hissed, eyes widening, but she did not listen.

“If you are still here in the next _three_ seconds—”

“PROFESSOR!” Hoseok yelled, and Namjoon finally saw it too. 

As Jungkook had been the first to notice footsteps in the snow, he was the last to realise what was happening between two of his best friends being yelled at, freezing his limbs off, and the flaming anxiety within him. He had been so distracted he had not seen the person that Namjoon was pointing at appear behind Taehyung and Jimin. A black-haired Slytherin boy who paid them no attention whatsoever as he passed, unfazed by the harsh wind that swept violently against him. 

Yoongi.

It had begun. There was no turning back now. His stomach flipped as he watched his friend trail through the untouched field of snow, down into the field towards the Greenhouses.

“Shit— Jungkook, go!” Terri yelled, her attention no longer on the two rebellious out-of-bed boys.

Jungkook obeyed, his heart trying to pound its way out of his chest as he sprinted forward. He almost dropped his wand trying to fumble it out of his pocket, and realised he should have done this earlier. He pointed it straight forward, right at the back of Yoongi’s head. Yoongi, who had not as much as cast a glance at him as he had passed. Yoongi, who did not realise they were here; who did likely not even realise _he_ was here. Jungkook almost choked as he inhaled deeply and filled his lungs with the winter storm, his heart freezing at the thought of seeing that look in Yoongi’s eyes again. Those empty, glazy eyes that reflected nothingness yet _murder_ at the same time. 

“C-Conteram Animi C-Car—”

The spell was interrupted by his own shuddering gasp. Yoongi had turned around and was looking straight at him now, and everything he had dreaded to see was right there in front of him. It was his friend no more, only the fiendish curse that had taken control of his body; the one that made him raise his wand right at Jungkook, just like he had before. The younger stood frozen in the snow; under the trance of his reality and Yoongi’s cloudy gaze. He did not notice the elder open his mouth, but Terri did. 

“STUPEFY!” the former Auror roared, her voice muffled by the raging wind. 

But Yoongi dodged his spell with unnatural ease, his head now slowly turning in the direction of the rest of the group, his soulless eyes finally resting upon Terri. 

“Do it now!” she yelled, and Jungkook thrust his wand forward.

“Conteram Animi Carcerem!”

“Protego.”

The counter-curse blasted in the other direction as Yoongi shielded himself.

“Conteram A-Animi Carcerem!”

“Protego.”

Everyone stood and watched as the charm that was meant to protect the caster, now prevented Yoongi from being saved. All boys expected Terri to take lead, like she had claimed he would. To stun him or petrify him or… _something_. Wasn’t she supposed to take charge? Wasn’t she the most experienced of them all? They all stood and watched, helpless as their professor did nothing. A great deal of it was shock, another part of it was that no one wanted to hurt Yoongi, although they were also well aware that if they wouldn’t do anything, it would bear severe consequences for all of them. Jungkook especially.

It was Taehyung made up his mind, fuelled by misplaced anger that grew bigger inside of him. He cursed loudly and ran forward as Yoongi raised his wand at Jungkook once more, his body surging with adrenaline as he pushed past Terri. “OVER HERE!” he bellowed at Yoongi, who now turned his wand from Jungkook to the Gryffindor who came sprinting right at him. “KOOK, DOWN!”

Jungkook knew what Taehyung meant to do. There was no time to discuss, no time to consider the risks. With the speediest estimation of the impact he could do, he pointed his wand down. “CONTERAM—”

Yoongi only had eyes for Taehyung this time. “Avada ke—”

“TAE!” Jimin screamed, and Hoseok held him back as he attempted to make a run for it.

“—ANIMI—”

“HNGGGGGAAAAAAAAA!” the Gryffindor set himself off from the ground, dropping his wand as he spread his arms wide and flung them around Yoongi. The two stumbled down, legs and heads crashing against each other as they fell to the ground.

“—CARCEREM!”

There was a flash of light, blinding for a split second, then it was gone. Everyone was still, anxiously awaiting movement from the small pile that was Taehyung on top of Yoongi. There was none for a good minute, and Jungkook could only pray to every higher entity in existence that his spell had landed. 

“Get off,” Jungkook then heard Yoongi grunt from under Taehyung, who had himself thrown over the Slytherin’s body. Whether it was to shield Yoongi from harm or keep him away from the others wasn’t clear, but the Slytherin seemed displeased either way. 

Both boys climbed to their feet, swerving and blinking hard, reaching to each other for support. Yoongi seemed to be back to normal, but the group could not entirely celebrate this moment of relief, although Jungkook silently wished the worst would now be over. 

“Fuck this,” Yoongi growled, rubbing over the throbbing spot on his face where Taehyung’s head had crashed against his own, still leaning on his friend with his other arm. “Fuck Concordia and fuck the Imperius Curse. I’m sick of this shit. And fuck that Livraile bitch wherever the hell she—”

“Careful what you wish for, boy.”

Whether Yoongi heard it or not from where he was standing did not matter, because when the presence of someone else was instantly noticed by Namjoon and Jimin, who stood closest by the castle entrance. When their heads jerked around, the others instantly followed. 

Grinning ominously, skin as ghostly pale as the snow under her, stood Livraile. _Aubrey_ Livraile. Under any other circumstances dealing with a petite first-year would not have fazed any of the boys, and certainly not Terri, whose slowly eyes widened in horror as she raised her wand at the girl. But _any_ other circumstances would certainly not have brought them here tonight; having just broken one of their group free from the grip of an Unforgivable Curse – and not for the first time either – shaking and trembling as the storm of ice was starting to take its toll on at least half of them. 

“YOU!” Terri screamed loudly. She nearly tripped forward as she ran toward the girl. Seokjin had a moment of crippling doubt as she pushed past him, her wand attack-ready. What if they were wrong about all of this? But Terri had no doubts. It were the clear-as-day memories that convincingly told her that everything she believed in was sure to be wrong. “WHERE IS SHE?!” 

Aubrey Livraile cackled so eerily that it evoked a fear in all the boys that they would never admit having had to each other. In this moment they were strong for each other, even if none of them truly felt particularly brave. 

“I’m surprised you’re tainted mind has gotten you this far, Wilgens. Perhaps it was those boys, hm?” Aubrey Livraile spread her arms open wide as if to welcome Terri to her. “Perhaps I underestimated most of them.” 

“INCARCEROUS!” 

Large, thick vines shot out the tip of Terri’s wand and spiralled around the blond girl’s body, tightening around her, trapping her. Her legs bound together, she fell backwards to the ground, cackling loudly once more. 

None of the boys were sure what to do. All of them were equally convinced that, as an ex-Auror, Terri had dealt with strange situations before; perhaps even stranger than this. But to them, seeing their Charms Professor kneel down next to the young Ravenclaw student she just trapped, her wand pointed directly into her face, was a _tad_ strange and unnerving. They had all been prepared for the ambush, at least as prepared as possible. But doubt overtook them, like it had with Seokjin. What if they were wrong? They couldn’t be wrong, could they?

While Aubrey Livraile still cackled away, which made none of them feel particularly better about the capture, the boys moved in closer, gingerly. Namjoon gathered the three youngest and kept them at a safe distance from Terri, shielding them with one arm while keeping his wand ready in the other. Meanwhile, Hoseok had grabbed hold of Yoongi by the sleeve of his robes, making sure the Slytherin wouldn’t suddenly dart forward in a moment of blind rage.

The eldest of the group, however, was the only one _truly_ wanting to get a closer look. He did not want to stay at a safe distance. He wanted to see her face; find all the answers in them to this sick game she had been playing. But when his eyes met her piercing blue ones he only found heart-breaking rage and frustration in the way they gleamed full of malice. And his doubt disappeared.

“You’re Eva Livraile,” he said. It wasn’t a question. He had never met the woman, but what he said, he stated. One glance at her, and he just _knew_.

“I should have known.” The girl did not struggle under her bonds, nor did she as much as wince as Terri pulled her upright by one of the vines. Her eyes did not tear away from Seokjin’s. “I should have known Kim’s son would have been the one to catch up with me. Bravo. You certainly did inherit his detective wonder brain, didn’t you? Perhaps we should’ve still focused on you instead, hm?”

Seokjin wasn’t sure whether she was trying to derail his thoughts; confuse him enough to keep him from of asking the questions that had been burning on his mind. He wouldn’t let her. “Why did you target us? Why did Concordia target us? What do you want?!” 

Another cackle. “Let me ask you something,” the girl sighed almost happily. “Just for the fun of it. How did you figure it out? I had long messed with Wilgens’ brain before making any important moves. I made sure of that.”

“Oh please,” Terri growled. “Don’t think you can outsmart me.”

The girl smiled, her eyes still locked with Seokjin’s. “Well?”

The former Slytherin slid his hand into his pocket and revealed the piece of parchment that he had found in Terri’s office right before everything was set in motion. 

Aubrey Livraile squinted her eyes at the word, her eyebrows slowly pulling together. “Enlighten me,” she said.

Seokjin hesitated. His friends were definitely in hearing distance now, unable to contain their curiosity for the conversation. It was Terri who responded to the question. 

“Unable to bear children.” 

All the boys heard, and finally understood the meaning behind the mystery note. 

_**Livraile** _

_**She’s like me.** _

“In my memory you, Aubrey Livraile, are the daughter of Eva Livraile. When I checked the school registry it also told me that. All the others professors also seem to know that you are.” Terri’s voice trembled. “I never bonded with Livraile much, but there was this one thing we had in common. One thing that tied our souls together; something that would be hard to forget. And you being here right now proves that none of this is real. _You’re_ not real.”

“Hmm,” the girl hummed contently. “Bravo. It seems I didn’t get to you fast enough. But you live and learn. It doesn’t really matter now, does it?”

“No, it doesn’t,” Terri said. “I’m alerting the Ministry, and they’ll come pick you up soon enough. You’ll pay for what you did to all of us— to Daewon.”

“Poor lamb was left behind.” The girl’s smile widened. “You weren’t supposed to be, you know. You’re an asset, as much is clear— or well. You _were_ an asset. These days I’m not so sure.” 

“What is that supposed to mean?” Seokjin hissed. He felt his blood boil. The sooner this was over with, the better. She was trying to stall time; anger Terri. “You’re trying to distract us fro—”

“YOU!” Terri bellowed and pulled the girl close to her face, teeth baring. “WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!”

The sudden outburst started the boys, and Jimin covered his mouth with his hands to muffle a whimper. Yoongi had an almost uncontrollable urge to step in now. Not with a particular plan, but he just _really_ wanted to get physical for all he had endured. That wasn’t a young girl, was it? It was a full-grown woman somehow, he understood that much. It was a good thing Hoseok held him back, for it was not the strength of his grip that held him back, but the weight of their friendship. 

Terri shook the girl violently, which only made her cackle again, and louder this time. The wind cackled with her. “Been feeling off, have you?”

“WHAT DID YOU DO?! MY MEMORIES—”

“Let’s just say I couldn’t resist to mess with your mind a little while I was up there—”

“YOU FUCKING BITCH!”

“—and I took from you all that made you so great. If we didn’t have you, you’d only be a threat to us. Your Auror training—”

“NO!”

“—the knowledge, the insight, the control. All gone. I’m surprised you’ve even gotten this far, but then again—”

“NO! No… n-no…” Terri sobbed, and her grip on the girl weakened.

“It’s the boys, isn’t it? Two in particular, and you know it.” She sighed, eyes flicking up at Seokjin. “It’s time to go now. The rest has been set in motion.” 

It happened in a split second. One moment she was here, the next she was gone; evaporated into thin air. The vines that had held her trapped fell down into the snow into a heap. Terri still held on to one of them as she cried, her focus completely gone.

Seokjin turned around. “WHERE IS SHE?!” he screamed into the direction of his friends. Even the youngest three had their wands ready now, whilst still held back by Namjoon. “SHE CAN’T GET AWAY!”

The field behind them was so dark they could hardly see anything. The glass of the greenhouses softly reflected the light of the half moon that hung in the sky, clouded, which wasn’t enough for any of them to be able to see very far. But it wasn’t necessary to find her. She appeared some way down, only barely still visible. Seokjin ran forward past his friends, and saw she was standing with her arm up, something held in her hand.

“I tweaked your little hologram spell,” she chuckled, and there was no need to specify who she was talking to. “ _Very_ convenient.”

Yoongi finally pulled free from Hoseok’s grip and ran toward her. “YOU FUCKING—” he lunged forward and grabbed her. But his hands didn’t connect. Instead, he fell forward, _through_ her, and could only barely catch himself as he fell into the snow. 

Another cackle snapped through the air, a sound so infuriating and unsettling at the same time. The girl appeared again further down into the field. “You’ll have to catch me if you want that notebook of yours back!” she yelled. “You know where to go, don’t you?”

“GGGRAAAAAAAAAA!!” Yoongi roared and sprinted down into the field after her.

“STOP!” Hoseok yelled, knowing it would do very little. “SHE’S SETTING YOU UP!”

“YOONGI!!” Jungkook screamed as the elder Slytherin disappeared into the vast darkness below, chasing after Livraile’s echo. The youngest was still held back by Namjoon, but most of it was for show now. There was very little that could stop him from pushing the elder’s arm away to chase after his best friend. 

“KOOK, NO!” Namjoon tried to grab his robes, but the darkness swallowed the younger up as it had done with Yoongi. 

This triggered a chain reaction. One that would land them in a lot of trouble, and they all knew it. But what else were they to do? With Namjoon’s arm out of the way, both Taehyung and Jimin were now on the loose, like caged birds that had found sudden freedom.

“LUMOS MAXIMA!” 

As the two raced past their elders in Jungkook’s tracks, Jimin’s wand lit up, and Taehyung’s soon followed. Their lights bounced down into the field.

“FUCK!” Namjoon roared, finding he could do nothing else but follow. 

It left Hoseok and Seokjin to stop in their tracks for the briefest of moments as they bumped into each other as they ran down. 

Hoseok grabbed his friend’s arm, turning his head back. “What about Terri?” he asked, and the both of them stared at the weeping woman. 

“I— I don’t know,” Seokjin confessed desperately, head turning from Terri to the field below, where, in the distance, the light of his friend’s wands now slipped past the border of the Forbidden Forest. Gone. “What are we supposed to do?”

“I don’t know.”

“Me neither.”

There was silence as they locked eyes, and they both knew the decision had already been made for them. There was no real choice in the matter. Their fate has chosen them, and it would lead them into the Forest.


	14. What Was Lost (Part II)

****

###  **Chapter 14 - What Was Lost (Part II)**

****

It was utter chaos. The Forbidden Forest was a still and dark warzone, and the vastness of it had swallowed each of the boys up; absorbed them. The Forest was a place unknown to them; a realm of danger only explored within the tales told and warnings they had heard throughout their years at Hogwarts. Yet this chase – one that half of them, if not _all_ of them should not have been on in the first place – had led them into this realm, unwillingly. Things hadn’t supposed to go like this. Everything about this was _wrong_.

Namjoon’s eyes were filled with tears, and he could only really be half thankful for the darkness around him that hid the fear on his face. The illuminated tip of his wand only gave him the illusion that he could see, but in reality everything around him looked the same. The gigantic, looming trees that towered over him had even blocked out any snowfall, and he was walking on an untouched, perhaps even undiscovered path. 

When he had entered the forest – and when he had still heard Taehyung’s and Jimin’s voices somewhere ahead of him – the trees that grew at the border of the Forest did not grow as big as here. He had been able to find traces of them further up ahead in the faint light of the moon, or seen their wands twinkle and dance between the trees. But the younger’s voices had faded eventually, leaving him behind. The trees had thickened, and the blackness had enveloped him; sucked him in. He was a part of the forest now, away from his world of safety. Away from Hogwarts. And it was lonely. Lonelier than the Room of Requirement had been. 

He kept running, despite the desperate feeling he couldn’t distinguish up from down and left from right anymore. He knew better than to expect to find his friends back in the Forest. People had lost themselves in this place before, and he would be no exception. Coming here had been mistake. He should have alerted the authorities, he should have _held them back_ , for fuck’s sake. Why hadn’t he stopped them? He had failed them. He had failed himself. All of his friends— wasn’t _he_ responsible? What right did he have to ever want to hold responsibility for an entire castle of children if he couldn’t even protect his own friends? _He_ had let them go. _He_ had let them run off after Yoongi. _He_ hadn’t stopped Yoongi to begin with. He should have hexed them, petrified them, stunned them— _anything_.

If his friends died here, he would be responsible. He would hold himself responsible for the rest of his life, would he be fortunate enough to live on himself. But he couldn’t stand the thought of losing them or losing himself, so he went on. Sometimes he swerved around the trees, left or right, when it felt right, heading into the direction that his _instinct_ told him to head into. There wasn’t much to his instinct in this moment. He felt powerless, even with the little wooden stick in his hand that had protected him before. His trusted ally. What use was magic to him now that all was lost?

He had been walking aimlessly for so long now, he couldn’t help but wonder if any human had ever set foot on this path before. 

Too entrapped in his own head, he failed to notice a white light, so serene and calm it was definitely out of place, chase him, closing in on him fast. But he gasped when he felt something swoop over him, and halted so fast he nearly tripped over his own feet. Trembling, he waved his wand into all directions, and found he could see the trunks and roots and dirt below him clearer now. He had to blink hard, heart pounding in his ribcage, before he realised the newfound light did not come from his own wand, but from right above him.

Aware as he _should_ have been of his surroundings, Namjoon also didn’t see the figures that came sprinting right at him, emerging from out the shadows on his right. He screamed as he was grabbed hold of, but the Forest gave him no voice. The cries that came after were muffled by the vastness of its existence.

“We’re here. It’s us. Calm down. Joon— Namjoon, please!” Hoseok pleaded as he held onto his friend, supporting him as the former Ravenclaw’s knees gave in. 

“Th—They’re g-gone,” Namjoon cried out, his heart aching as his chest tightened. “I l-lost t-them! It’s a-all my f-fault!” He did not have the strength to look around, his hands now in front of his face as the tears rolled down. Had he paid more attention, he would have noticed Hoseok wasn’t the only one with him. 

“We’ll find them!” 

Taehyung’s voice made Namjoon look up immediately, his eyes widening as he rested them on the young Gryffindor before him. His pale face was illuminated under the light of the strange orb, and the tip of his own wand and another wand next to his. _Jimin’s_ wand. The shorter had his hand into Taehyung’s, clenched tightly, as he met Namjoon’s gaze sadly. 

“H-How?” Namjoon stuttered, and Jimin gave a short nod in the other direction.

“If only Jungkook knew what I’d learnt from him,” Seokjin snorted, eyes shooting up at the orb above. “It’d definitely get to his head. So don’t tell him. I feel like that’s a trend amongst us.”

There was a low, collective chuckle, which sounded more like stifled sighs, laced with the knowledge of their impending fate. 

“We need to move on and find Yoongi and Kook,” Hoseok said while squeezing Namjoon’s arms. “Can you stand?” 

Namjoon’s nod was lost in the midst of his shuddering, short breaths, but his friends understood and helped him up. Still unsure, Hoseok kept an arm around his middle to make sure he wouldn’t sink back down. Meanwhile, Seokjin turned into the other direction and raised his arm, wand pointing directly into the dark abyss before them.

“Homenum revelio!”

The orb that had rested above Namjoon’s head now shot forward, gliding between the trunks of the trees and guiding a new path for them. It was slow enough for them to keep track of, but fast enough to lose sight of if they didn’t move.

“Come on,” Jimin stuffed his wand into his pocket and grabbed Namjoon’s hand, and pulled him with as Taehyung trailed behind Seokjin, who took charge of the chase. 

They followed the orb. Namjoon loyally supported by Hoseok and Jimin. Being together helped. It helped to create the illusion that the person next to them had courage they didn’t have themselves, but had anyone been able to see right through them, they would have found next to none. _Who_ it was the orb would track was a gamble. It could be one of their friends as much as it could be Livraile. And that would mean trouble.

“Why does this feel so familiar?” Hoseok asked softly after silent minutes of walking, his arm only still loosely supporting Namjoon now. The orb calmly swerved left and right, sometimes seeming to hesitate a little as it slowed down, as if it was unsure which way to go. “Dark, creepy, life-threatening.” The Hufflepuff smiled weakly. “But I guess this time is different, because I’m in it for real this time.”

“Was it everything you had ever imagined it to be?” Seokjin called out from in front of them, tone sarcastic. 

“An adventure beyond my wildest dreams,” the Hufflepuff replied, his smile now turning into a grimace. Even joking about the situation seemed inappropriate. He couldn’t make light of anything, not with Jungkook and Yoongi still out there. 

Jimin tapped Namjoon’s hand with his index finger to get his attention. “Something else is different this time around, too,” then nodded at Seokjin, whose steps were determined as he led the group forward, bravely treading the path in front of the line. 

The orb sped up after a while, and the boys increased their pace. There was a strange growl from somewhere in the distance on their right, and although it chilled their bones to the core, none of them said a word. Who knew what the Forest inhabited. Chances were that if they were attacked tonight, it wouldn’t be at the hands of Livraile. If anything, most of them secretly hoped it was _her_ they would face. And they would. 

Yoongi had gone berserk, and he wouldn’t stop before he would get his hands on that woman, and she had known it. She had led him into the Forest, where she had wanted him all along. It was a trap. It had been a trap from the get-go. Seokjin figured out along the way that Livraile had known about their plan to ambush her, there was no other explanation. Chances that a group of youngsters and a former Auror who had lost almost all her abilities had outsmarted her were slim, likely _non-existent_. This _had_ to be part of her plan, whatever it was. And Yoongi was walking right into whatever she had set up for them. The boy was smart enough to figure that out. But was he in control enough to care? 

“How far in do you think we are?” Taehyung asked, the palm that rubbed against Jimin’s now sticky from sweat, fingers cold. “The Forest is so big we could easily be off Hogwarts grounds right now.”

Namjoon had been thinking it, but hadn’t wanted to give a voice to his concern. “That may very well be the case. I’ve been thinking Livraile is thinking of escaping that way. If we’re off the grounds, it would mean she could Apparate away. She—”

“Wait!” Jimin suddenly hissed, clenching both his hands tightly in his friends’. Everyone stopped in their tracks. “Did you hear that?”

The boys held their breaths, wands up. There was nothing to hear. Meanwhile, the orb swerved left, and Seokjin did not take it eyes off it. “There’s nothing th—” he started, but before he could finish, there was a clear sound. The sound of a roar somewhere on their left. It was still far away, but there was no doubt it came from a place of rage. 

All heads jerked into the direction of the orb as it increased its speed once more, and there was another roar; a human one, they were sure of it. Then, something orange glowed up from within the dark, growing intensely, and disappearing again seconds later. 

“Fire?!” Taehyung whispered, his throat so tight he could barely speak. 

“COME ON!” Seokjin dashed forward, ignoring the pain that has settled itself in his legs from the seemingly endless road through the dark.

They ran as fast as the Forest would allow them, careful to dodge the trees and their their thick roots that stuck out of the dirt below. Jimin made sure not to let go of Taehyung and Namjoon. They had to stay together no matter what. Hoseok had grabbed onto Namjoon’s robes, fingers clenched around the fabric, nails digging in. They followed in Seokjin’s trail, who had now run past the orb. Another roar – more like a scream this time – in the distance sounded closer, and there was another flash of fire.

As they neared the scene, they could make out echoes of words. 

“...BITCH…. KILL YOU!”

Maniacal laughter followed in reply.

“AHAHAHAHAA!!”

The fire was so close this time around that they could all feel its warmth radiating dangerously, and they squinted their eyes as the light grew brighter. The flames strung together like a whip, snapping forward through the dark from their left to the right. It left an afterglow that stung in their peripheral vision. 

“YOONGI?!” Seokjin roared, dodging another tree as he ran. “KOOK?!” 

“Oooh, you’ve finally arrived!” It was an unfamiliar voice that answered his call, that of a woman. It wasn’t familiar, but they all instantly recognised the tone. 

“LIVRAILE!” the eldest screamed, his wand stretched out in front of him, expecting an ambush at any moment.

Behind him, Namjoon jerked away from his friends’ grip, heading left. “Where are they?! They’re there, aren’t they?! They have to be— KOOK?! JUNGOOK!!!” 

“Joonie, _please_!” Jimin pleaded while running after him, pulling Taehyung with him. “We have to stick together!— Hobi?” he turned his head back, eyes searching for the elder Hufflepuff in the dark. 

“I’m coming!” Hoseok exclaimed as he sprinted after his friends. 

From behind Hoseok came the orb that Seokjin had conjured, gliding at intense speed now, catching up with them. It illuminated a path, and they followed without looking back, assuming it would lead them the right way somehow. Perhaps it had been wrong of them to assume Seokjin would follow where they went, because he didn’t. Instead, he headed right, straight for Livraile. 

“YOU WON’T GET AWAY!” he bellowed, fuelling his voice with the anger inside of him rather than his fear. “SHOW YOURSELF!”

But it wasn’t Livraile he heard next. It was Yoongi, hidden within the dark somewhere further on the left.

“IGNIS VERBERAQUE!” 

“HOLY FU—”

Seokjin only barely managed to dodge another fire whip as it raged past him. It illuminated everything around him for a few seconds, and he saw _her_. Not little Aubrey Livraile. She existed no more. It was Eva Livraile’s eerie grin that he was faced with, her sharp features and pale blue eyes glowing under the orange light; a demon-like creature. He recognised her from the photo that Terri had shown him last summer. She had finally revealed her real self. 

“OHAHAHA!” she laughed as the fire faded. “Your friend has been trying to set me on fire. I must say I like his style!”

“STUPEFY!” Seokjin had no interest in making conversation. He knew he missed, because her cackle was louder this time. “YOONGI?!” he called out. “LISTEN TO ME! WHATEVER THIS IS, IT’S A TRAP!”

“Ooooh?” Livraile hummed contently somewhere in front of him.

“I DON’T GIVE A FUCK!” It was Yoongi that answered this time. “THE BITCH NEEDS TO BURN!”

“You’ll burn your notebook with her!” Seokjin tried. If Livraile had really planned an escape, perhaps it was better for them to run. Run for the castle grounds where they would be safe and protected at the very least.

“She _never_ had my fucking notebook! I left the real one with Jungkook.”

“What?! Where is he?!”

“Such a _sweet_ little child, isn’t he? Ohahahaha!”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!” 

“Yoong—”

“IGNIS VERBERAQUE!”

As the fire surged past Seokjin this time, he caught sight of his friend. Yoongi had his teeth bared and clenched as he whipped his arm to guide the fire forward. It missed again. The thought that his may be yet one another of Livraile’s hologram’s crossed Seokjin’s mind, and twisted in his stomach. 

“JIN?!” Someone called out on the left, and Seokjin could hear multiple people run into his direction. Five dots of light appeared in the corner of his eye, nearing him fast. 

“WAIT NO!” He wanted to tell his friends to stay away; run back. Whatever Livraile had planned for them, they had to be as far away from her as they could. They were all here now, and they were all in one piece. There was no guarantee they still would be if they stuck around any longer, and Seokjin had not intention to find out.

“J-Jin.” It was Namjoon who appeared in the light first, panting, with the rest of the group closely behind him. 

Their faces glistened with sweat and read fear, but Seokjin was relieved to count all five of them. His eyes rested on Jungkook, who was held by his arms by both Jimin and Taehyung, with Hoseok behind him. 

“We found Kook bound to a tree back there. The orb led us to him! Where is Yoongi?” 

“He’s here, but we have to leave this instant. I’ve got a really bad feeling that something—”

A loud **_CRACK_** whipped through the air, so close to where they were standing that it made them all jump back. They colliding with each other, arms tangling as they locked together. Their heads turned in unison, but another **_CRACK_** on their other side divided their focus. 

“FINALLY!” Livraile exclaimed. 

**_CRACK. CRACK._ **

Seokjin cursed under his breath, grabbing hold of Hoseok’s arm and pulling him closer to the group while swinging his wand from left to right.

“What’s happening?!” Jungkook whimpered as he was pushed backward by Namjoon, his back pressing up against Taehyung’s behind him.

“Guys?” 

Another body suddenly pressed against Jungkook’s side, and the youngest recognised it for Yoongi’s, his smell laced with perspiration. He locked his arm into the elder’s, wand held up in the other. Ready. But ready for what? He had told Yoongi to turn back, _screamed_ at him; pleaded for his life as they had run through the Forest after that damned woman. Coming here had been a bad idea, and Jungkook had, once again, found himself alone in the dark, chasing after his best friend. But this time he had no confidence in his own abilities. He may had managed to rescue them all in the Room – with a load of luck, if you ask him – but this time was different. He couldn’t take one full-grown Wizard or Witch, let alone—

_CRACK!_

Six. 

“They’re all around us,” Jimin whispered almost inaudibly, but they all heard him. They had all recognised the sound of people Apparating onto the grounds, and understood what it meant for them. 

“Dim your lights!” Namjoon commanded them, a tremor in his voice. “Nox.”

“Nox,” they said in unison, and all light faded away. 

There was only darkness now, and the knowledge that they were surrounded.

“Livraile never meant to Disapparate away,” Seokjin muttered under his breath. “She had planned for others to Apparate _in_. _Off_ the grounds, outside of Hogwarts’ protective spells. That’s why she needed us to follow her, Yoongi specifically.”

“Well how the fuck was I supposed to know?!” Yoongi hissed from beside him, shifting anxiously. 

“You could’ve used that brain of yours before you ran after her!”

“And let her get away?!”

“If that meant our safety… yes.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

“Boys, boys, boys.” Livraile’s voice came from a short distance away, but close enough for them to hear. They didn’t have to see her face to know she wore a huge smirk. “No need to bicker. I’ve outsmarted far greater Wizards and Witches than yourselves.” 

“Like my father?” Seokjin growled, grinding his teeth.

Livraile let out a high-pitched cackle. “Much like your father, yes. I won’t deny he is one of the better Wizards I’ve met in my life.”

_Is._

Feeling his blood boil, Seokjin wanted to lunge himself forward; wrap his hands around her throat. It was a good thing he was held back by Hoseok, who suddenly placed his leg strategically in front of Seokjin’s from beside him, shifting his body forward. 

“So this was your little plan, huh?” Jimin sneered. “Trap us here and have your henchmen kill us all?!”

“Kill?” Livraile snorted. She had moved in closer now. “You misunderstand. At Concordia we are all equals. And we don’t kill. We _heal_.”

“So you’re here to _heal_ us?” Taehyung scoffed. “Well then you can fuck right off, ‘cause we’re all perfectly healthy!”

“Oh, I know you are,” Livraile replied. Softly this time. Even closer. “We’ve been watching you for quite some time now, but ultimately there is only one of you we really need. At first we were going to go for a little… Kim _collection_ , so to say. But when we saw _his work_ we knew he was the one we needed for the cause.”

“His work? You’re talking about Yoongi, aren’t you?!” Jungkook yelled, trembling and pressing himself closer against the elder Slytherin beside him.

Everyone understood as much. Yoongi had been targeted by Concordia, and now they wanted him for real. Yet that wasn’t the part of Livraile’s story that had caught Seokjin’s attention.

_Kim collection? Did she mean—_

“Yes. Now the time has come,” Livraile spoke. “Don’t worry. We’ll make sure you won’t remember a thing once we have him.”

There was a brief moment of silence, and the boys’ hearts raced as one.

“Get him.”

None of them were prepared for the hell that broke loose upon her words. Spells came flying from all sides, the screams of men and women around them echoing through the dark. 

“PROTEGO DUO!” Namjoon was the first to react, just in time. Two stunning spells that came flying their way bounced off his shield, their light glowing dangerously red. “STUPEFY!” he tried, hopelessly aiming into the direction of the attackers on his side. 

“PROTEGO!” Taehyung and Hoseok mimicked him.

Dangerously red hexes and spells came in from all sides, which the boys only barely managed to block. But it was mild, and they knew that their attackers were holding back. This _couldn’t_ be their full power. Perhaps Livraile hadn’t been lying when she said Concordia didn’t kill. Maybe they could all make it out alive tonight.

“KOOK!” Yoongi roared. “DAHLIA!”

Jungkook understood immediately and positioned his wand. It was far too dark to see if they were syncing, but they both timed it as they had practiced so many times.

“DUPLICI PRAESIDIO!” – “DUPLICI PRAESIDIO!”

With a _pop_ , the bright orange shield appeared in front of them, and Jungkook chuckled with relief and pride.

“FUCK!” Namjoon yelled from behind them. “THEY CAN SEE US IN THE LIGH—”

“CONTERAM OSSA!” A man’s voice screamed, and a bright orange flash whipped at them like lightning.

“PROTE—” Namjoon began, but he was not fast enough. The spell cracked loudly as it landed beside him.

“GRAAAAAAAGHHHHH!!!” 

Jimin’s body collapsed, and he fell to the ground.

“JIMIN!” Hoseok and Taehyung both screamed.

“FFFGGG— AAAAAAAAH!!!”

“WE NEED TO—”

“STUPEFY!”

“ARGH!”

Under the light of Yoongi’s shield charm, spells starting landing from all the other sides. And after Jimin, both Namjoon and Jungkook went down, their bodies landing on the ground with loud thuds. They stayed there, lifelessly; powerless. 

“NO!” Hoseok yelled as he saw two shadowy figures appear under the orange glow, coming right at him. “PROTEGO! PROTEGO!”

“PROTEGO DUO!” Seokjin screamed, fending off two hexes flying in from the right. He reached back with his arm and found Yoongi. “STAY CLOSE!”

“EXPELLIARMUS!” Taehyung screamed at one of the figures that came from his and Hoseok’s side, and – wonder above wonder – it connected. They watched the figure’s wand soar through the air, but they seemed almost completely unfazed by it. Almost as if they hadn’t even noticed. “EH—” the Gryffindor began, but was interrupted by a bright red flash of light on his left. He collapsed.

“TAE!” Hoseok cried out as the boy went down. He stepped back and felt his back connect with Yoongi’s or Seokjin’s. It was just the three of them now. The last one’s standing, and all three of them knew they stood no chance. The Hufflepuff could feel tears streaming down his face as he reached for his friends behind him, hoping to find small comfort in knowing that they were, at the very least, together. 

There attacks stopped. There were no more bright lights, no more screams. With so many of them down, Seokjin was sure Concordia was satisfied enough. They were no threat to them, and had likely never been one; hopeless, powerless children, trapped like rodents in a cage, awaiting their death. The three held onto each other, hands fisted into each other’s robes, backs pressed against backs. Hoseok’s soft sniffs were the only thing to break the deadly silence. That, and one pair of feet that moved in closer through the dark.

Hoseok was the one to see him first. A man, slender yet with broad shoulders, his face decorated thickly with a black beard. It was the one without wand, but that did not make him any less threatening. His eyes were dark, deep brown perhaps, his skin light. There was something about him that made the Hufflepuff shrink back, wanting to dissolve. But there was _something else_. Something that, in the strangest and most misplaced way, brought forth a sense of familiarity. 

Trembling, Hoseok raised his wand at him, but he knew there was nothing he could do at this point. He wanted to warn his friends, but the words stuck in his throat. His tongue lay thickly in his mouth, paralysed. He made a soft gurgling sound as the man was merely at an arm’s distance now, trying to mutter a word of warning or perhaps a spell. But the man did not even as much as look at him. He pushed past him and reached out his arm, grabbing hold of Yoongi from behind by his arm. 

“WHAT THE—” Yoongi felt himself getting pulled backward with great force, long fingers wrapping around his arm. 

“NO!” Seokjin turned around, desperation flaring. If they got Yoongi, all was lost. They would have their memories of him wiped; forget about him. They would have their lives, but would likely never regain what Concordia had taken from them. Their friend. He wouldn’t— _couldn’t_ let them take him. Not him too.

Instinctively, and at a loss for a better idea, he lunged his arm forward and planted his fist in the face of the attacker, who grunted loudly and let go of Yoongi, his hands reaching up. Quickly, Seokjin pushed the three of them with their backs toward the orange shield, raising his wand at the man, who winced and slowly lowered his arms back down, face twitching with anger as he stared at the ground. 

They didn’t stand a chance. _All was lost._ Even a man without a wand could easily overpower them. Seokjin knew he could hex him, but then what? 

_All was lost._

Everyone had gone down, and soon Yoongi would be gone. Gone like his father.

_Like his father._

_Like his…_

The man lifted his chin up and his face was revealed under the orange light. They all saw him now. All three of them. Seokjin saw him. And it was like looking into a mirror; he saw a reflection of himself. A part of his soul. A part he had lost long ago.

“No,” he whispered. Losing all strength in his body, his arm lowered and his wand slipped from between his fingers. “You… Y-You’re not r-real.” He felt himself shake uncontrollably as the man’s eyes met his own, holding his gaze. “N-Not you!” 

“Not me?” the man smirked, and in the way he did, Hoseok finally understood. He saw it too now.

“Not you!” Seokjin repeated, trying his hardest to keep himself standing on both legs. “You’re dead… you’re…”

“Last time I checked I was still very much alive, thanks,” the man arched an eyebrow, amused. “Now let’s round this up, shall we?”

“Not you. Not you. Not you,” Seokjin kept whispering to himself, the darkness around him penetrating his mind, those brown eyes trapping him in his own head as they pierced through right through him.

“Fuck off!” Yoongi hissed as the man stretched an arm out as if inviting him over. 

“You like being difficult, don’t you?” the man chuckled. “Fine. Let’s—”

_**CRACK.** _

The sound of someone else Apparating in came from behind the boys.

 _ **CRACK. CRACK.**_

And another two, three— seven, eight… _twelve_. 

“DROP YOUR WANDS!” Someone yelled. “YOU’RE SURROUNDED!”

“Aghh!” Livraile groaned loudly. “Good for nothing—”

_**CRACK.** _

And she was gone. 

“Daewon,” someone else spoke close-by, another man. “We have to go.”

The man called Daewon exhaled deeply, then turned around to meet the other man. 

“NO!” Seokjin screamed as he realised what was happening, his throat raw. He wanted to run forward, but both Hoseok and Yoongi held him back. “DON’T GO! PLEASE! PLEASE DON’T—”

When Daewon cast his last glance back at the boys, eyes resting on Seokjin, Hoseok thought he read confusion. But that last moment was so brief that the image of the man faded with the _**CRACK**_ of him and the other attackers Disapparating out of the Forbidden Forest. And all Hoseok could somehow see was Seokjin’s own face, as an echo in the dark.

With the last of them gone, so went the last bit of strength Seokjin had in his body. He sank through his knees, hands planting on the dirt. A strange fog settled over his mind and thoughts, with only the sound of that name ringing in his ears. He could have been there for hours. All life moved on without him. The world had left him behind in that moment, stuck in time. Only vaguely he could hear the sound of Hoseok’s voice somewhere, calling out his name. 

”Jin?”

But none of that mattered.

_Daewon, we have to go._

”Hobi?”

”Yami! How did you—”

”Terri contacted the Auror’s department directly. She told us everything. All we had to do is trail he trace of use of underage magic outside of Hogwarts. Going into the Forest off grounds was—”

_Daewon, we have to go._

”—dangerous and stupid. Your friends, they’re—”

”Only stunned, I think.”

“Not Jimin. That spell he got hit by, it’s… one of mine. If it landed properly, almost all the bones in his body will be… they’ll be broken.”

“What the fuck, Yoongi?!”

_Daewon, we have to go._

“How was I supposed to know they’d fucking steal it?! He needs help. _Now!_ ”

“I’ll contact Tai and have your friend taken to St. Mungo’s right away. We have to move out.”

“Jin?”

_Daewon—_

“Jin.”

“What happened to him?”

“I think… that man, he— there’s no way of knowing but… I think it may have been... his father.”

“Daewon Kim?”

…

“Jin, we have to go.”

_—please don’t go._


	15. Epilogue - End of the Year

****

###  **Epilogue – End of the Year**

****

“Who knew graduation could be so grim?” Hoseok mindlessly poked his wand into the dirt, arching an eyebrow cheekily as Jungkook robbed him off his hat and put it on. 

“I’m happy enough,” the youngest said as he paraded around on the grass. “I can’t wait for my graduation.”

Jimin chuckled, stretching out on the field. “I’m first.” He smiled a little painfully. “And Tae.”

“And Tae,” Jungkook repeated, looking around at the students that had gathered around the lake.

Exactly one year ago, they had sat in this same spot. But everything was different this time around. A year ago, they had all been together. Now, they group counted two less. And although the sun shone as brightly as it had back then, none of the five boys enjoyed it as much on this day, even despite the celebration of Yoongi’s and Hoseok’s graduation. 

“Where is he anyway?” Namjoon asked. He had made sure to pack early so he could join his friends by the lake today. There were some minor things he would need to take care of before heading home, but that could wait. He treasured time with his friends. Being together was the most important thing of all.

“Dunno,” Jimin shrugged, then snorted, rolling his eyes. “Hanging out with his new friends or little fan club or whatever. I don’t really care.”

“You sound like you care a lot,” Yoongi told him, throwing his own graduation hat Jungkook’s way, who put it on top of Hoseok’s. “Just saying.”

“Don’t act like you know everything,” Jimin quipped, grabbing a pebble and lunging it Yoongi’s way. “You didn’t even pass your N.E.W.Ts.”

“Who the fuck needs N.E.W.Ts with talent like mine?” the Slytherin dodged the pebble and laid himself down on the grass, his head under his hands. “They will want me at the Ministry, so I’m good.”

“Suuuuure,” Jimin lilted. “ _Talent_ to invent spells that will break all the fucking bones in my body? Sixty-five hours of recovery? Some talent you have.”

“You said you had let that go!” 

“No way. Never.”

“Fuck you, then.”

“Love you too.”

The boys took everything in, remaining quiet for a period of time as life around them happily minded their own business; people chattering away, enjoying the heat on this final day at Hogwarts. The boys knew that whatever they were going through, the world would move on, with or without them. They could only move on with it, trying not to look back. That hadn’t been easy, but they had done their best. 

Hoseok had passed his N.E.W.Ts with flying colours in the end, securing his job at St. Mungo’s with Tai. Tai, who had dedicated himself fully to making sure Jimin recovered after what had happened in Forbidden Forest, had all the boys’ love, as did Yami, who had come to their rescue that night. Jimin had sworn to Tai on his hospital bed, on every broken bone in his body, that if he ever made it big within the Ministry – and he _would_ with his newfound ambition to become an Auror (which had come with the admiration for Yami’s skill and bravery) – he would make sure everyone there knew Tai’s name; he’d be the most famous Healer in the world! (Of course, Jimin had been heavily sedated at this time, and would remember nothing of the conversation later.)

During and after Jimin’s recovery period, Taehyung had become absent more frequently. Jimin often claimed he didn’t care when he noticed the Gryffindor hang out with other people, but Jungkook often noticed the way his eyes filled with tears before he brushed it off and changed the topic. The Hufflepuff never _really_ wanted to talk about it, so they had all left it alone.

After Jimin, Jungkook had been quick to follow in his ambitions, and had also solemnly declared his goal was to become an Auror now. To anyone outside of the group who asked, no one ever said anything about what had gone down. No one ever said a word about Concordia, as the Ministry had ordered them to keep silent. When anyone asked Jungkook, he claimed to want to follow Yoongi into the Ministry, and that was that. It was simple but believable enough. And the great part was that it wasn’t even a lie.

Namjoon, as the only one who still _willingly_ stayed at Hogwarts, constantly found himself saying little prayers of thanks that he hadn’t been sacked. Even though he had held himself responsible for what had happened that night, no one had blamed him whatsoever. The Auror’s Department and Terri had had a meeting with the Headmaster, but at no point had anyone asked him to come in. He had expected something to come his way for several weeks, but nothing came. Here was here to stay. Terri, on the other hand, announced she would quit as a professor after the year ended. After what she had heard about Seokjin’s father, all she ever did was come into class, teach, and retreat to her chambers. Hardly anyone really saw her anymore. 

And Seokjin himself had been nowhere to be found, not after Jimin had recovered. After Hoseok had explained to the others what he had seen and witnessed, no one dared to ask questions. For anyone to discover their supposedly deceased parent very much alive was… unimaginable to any of them. They hadn’t seen him in over half a year, and no one had dared to seek contact. Only Namjoon had tried to write him a few times, but he had only ever gotten short answers back.

_I’ll write you in time._  
_Sorry for leaving you all like this._

_Jin._

“Do you think we’ll all be together when I graduate?” Jungkook asked, throwing the two hats into the air and kicking them forward. 

“Of course,” Hoseok said, not convinced by his own tone. “Or at least we’ll try to be, right?”

“Right,” Yoongi nodded.

“I’ll be there, Kook,” Jimin told him, smiling. “Maybe afterward we can go to— what the hell?”

All eyes trailed the path Jimin’s gaze made, and even Yoongi jerked upright as two people came their way. Everyone’s mouth dropped as their missing friends were suddenly there. Right in front of them. 

Seokjin looked different, but it was definitely him. He was dragging Taehyung along with him by his arm, whose great displeasure was clearly visible on his face. The former Slytherin had lost weight, and a dark and messy stubble on his face indicated that self-care was somewhat of a lower priority these days. But it wasn’t just the stubble. It was everything about him; his whole air was different. His hollow cheeks and dark eyes read anxiety; insomnia. 

No one said a word as the two came to a standstill in front of the group. Seokjin’s eyes flicked strangely over each of his friends as he let go of Taehyung. “Figured it wasn’t appropriate to not show today,” was what he said. “I found this one on my way across the field.” He prodded Taehyung, who mustered only a weak forced smile. 

Namjoon let out a chuckle, unsure whether he felt relieved or angry or sad. “Where the hell have you been?” he said as he got to his feet, scanning Seokjin. “You look…”

“Awful? Don’t I fucking know it,” Seokjin finished his sentence for him. “I’ve been trying to track Concordia— my dad.”

“What?!” Namjoon hissed under his breath, and the other now joined him in standing upright. “On your own?”

“Not much else I could do. Terri helped me where she could, but she’s been a downright mess. Not that I’ve been particularly great,” the former Slytherin answered, most of his former charms lost under his misery. “Knowing that my father is a member is…” he exhaled sharply. “I can’t wrap my head around it. There must be more to it then I know.”

No one said anything.

“I know I haven’t been a great friend, if you all even still consider me your friend, but... there’s no one else I trust more than you guys. I came today to ask for your help. And with Hobi and Yoongi out of Hogwarts, we could do a hell of a lot more.”

“So basically,” Yoongi cocked his head and crossed his arms, “you disappear for about six months, then swoop back in to ask us to track an underground organisation that have been a threat to his country for years, have bested the greatest Aurors, managed to recruit your own father, tried to kidnap and steal from me, and broke all the bones in Jimin’s body?” 

“I suppose y—”

“I’m in,” Yoongi said, giving Seokjin no time to respond. “I’ve been wanting to get my hands on Livraile for what she did to me. As far as I’m concerned, they’re all going down.”

“You’re acting like it’s all so easy. We still know next to nothing about Concordia,” Hoseok shook his head. “And I won’t be in the Ministry, but at St. Mungo’s.”

Everyone looked at him, silently blinking, then Yoongi said, “but you’re in, right?”

“I…” Hoseok paused, the answer already on his lips. “Yes.”

“Thank you,” Seokjin smiled weakly, finding Namjoon’s eyes, hopeful.

“I’ll do anything I can to help you, you know that,” the former Ravenclaw answered. “But I’m going to be a professor next school year, and they need me here.”

“I understand,” Seokjin nodded. “Don’t worry. If you make sure to keep these three,” he nodded at Jimin, Jungkook, and Taehyung, “out of it, that’s more than enough.”

“What?!” Jimin and Jungkook exclaimed in unison, and the youngest muttered more in protest. Taehyung did not seem to mind in the slightest, still not saying a word. 

“I imagine that’ll be a full-time job,” Namjoon said, earning him deadly glares from both boys. 

“It’s settled, then,” Seokjin said. “Things will be different from now on. After stalking Yami for months she was finally able to let me on the team.”

“You’re an Auror?!” Jungkook frowned, almost affronted, but Seokjin chuckled and shook his head.

“No way. You’re looking at the Auror Department’s Strategist. My office will actually be a floor above Yoongi’s. I made arrangements myself.”

“Seriously?” Yoongi grunted. “Even at the Ministry you have to bug me all the goddamn time? I suppose things won’t be so different after all, then.” 

Seokjin smiled, secretly wishing – despite knowing much better – that they somehow really wouldn’t be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of Part II in the series.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading. I realise that this part has left you with somewhat of a major cliffhanger, but it was necessary as a set-up for Part III. 
> 
> Any feedback is more than welcome, and if anything was unclear, please feel free to ask! I'm still very new to writing suspense and mystery, so if the pieces don't always fall together well, please let me know so I can work on it.
> 
> [Start reading Part III here!](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12136311)
> 
> <3 Much love.


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